Tallinn Industry Head Marge Liiske on What’s New, TV Drama Growth, AI, and Hollywood Guests
The 24th edition of the Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event, a key component of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF), is set to kick off on Friday, bringing together film professionals and emerging talents for eight days of panels, masterclasses, case studies, workshops, project presentations, screenings, and networking events.
Dubbed "Northern Europe’s busiest business platform for audiovisual professionals," the event promises to showcase a record number of projects this year. The team led by Marge Liiske, head of the Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event, has organized a diverse range of activities, including the Baltic Event Co-Production Market, Script Pool, Works in Progress, and the European Genre Forum Showcase.
Tallinn's drama series market, TV Beats Co-Financing Market, will highlight eight selected series projects, with six titles developed through the Series Bridges Baltic workshops. Participants in the Midpoint Series Launch program will present their nine projects, and TV Beats Screening Day will feature five fresh series for the second time.
On November 17 and 18, the TV Beats Forum will gather key international players in TV drama from the Baltics, Nordics, and Central and Eastern Europe to explore current trends, financing challenges, and success stories in the fast-evolving series landscape. The third edition of the Just Film Industry Days, running from November 19 to 21, will focus on children’s and youth content, offering pitching sessions, panels, and case studies.
This year's Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event will also feature the Focus: Catalonia and Spotlight Country Austria programs, including a masterclass with Jessica Hausner. The event has always prioritized training and promoting Baltic film and TV creatives, facilitating connections with industry professionals worldwide. It has expanded its offerings to include up-and-coming creators, kids and family youth movies, short films, and TV drama series, adding three more days of programming last year.
Liiske emphasizes the need for constant innovation due to the rapid changes in the industry. The team has been building out the program for the past few years, adding new elements like children and youth films at the co-production market and the Industry Academy. However, the industry's evolution means that no one can ever say they are complete.
The 2025 edition introduces exciting new features. The first is the Serial Bridges – Baltics workshop, a partnership with Series Mania Institute and The French Institute, targeting writer/producer duos from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania with series projects. This initiative aims to bridge the gap between the Baltic region and other film-producing areas.
The second innovation is "Coming Soon From the Baltics," which will spotlight three series projects in production or post-production, seeking distribution. This initiative will provide a glimpse into the Baltic film industry's future, including its drama series sector.
The event will also attract industry professionals from Catalonia and Austria, fostering exchanges and connections between them and the Baltic industry. Liiske hopes to build long-lasting relationships, with the goal of developing collaborations that expand the contact base on both sides.
Attendance numbers are currently at maximum capacity, with a focus on ensuring focused interactions and sustainable crowds. Last year, Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event attracted 850 delegates, with 750 on-site and 100 participating online. This year, only 16 people are registered online, indicating a strong desire for physical attendance.
The panels and sessions program will address key issues and hot topics in the industry, with a focus on financing and technological advancements, including AI. Liiske highlights that the event will discuss AI not as a threat but as a tool to shape the future, emphasizing the need for filmmakers to integrate it into their processes.
The Tallinn industry program will also showcase solidarity with Ukraine, featuring five projects from the country, two at the co-production market, and three as works in progress. Additionally, the event will feature Hollywood speaker power, including costume designer Debra McGuire and top hair stylist Nina Paskowitz, who will share their career experiences with the industry audience.
Liiske and her team are committed to providing long-term benefits to the Baltic industry and its partners. They have supported around 15 projects that have successfully premiered at major film festivals, including Cannes, Venice, and Tribeca. Some of these projects have been nominated for European Film Academy Awards, and others have been countries' submissions for the international Oscars. The team is proud of all the projects they have supported.
