The next festival will take place on March 29-30, 2025. Film submissions open on November 15, 2024.

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12.05.2024, at Artis cinema in Tallinn, the festival jury, animator and artist Gleb Kufterin, actor and director Eduard Tee, and artist Renelle Karnaskind announced the winners:

Estonia Short Film | Teenagers
=> Ist place: Fibonacci (Director Margarita Gavrilova)

International Short Film Incorporating AI Technology
=> Ist place: Kazgu | United States | Director Tyronne Schaffer

First International Short Film | Teachers as Producers
=> Ist place: Little Changes | Spain | Directors Abril Garcia, Marc Jaen, Martina Navarro
=> IIst place: Puzzle | Turkey | Director Gülşah Erdur
=> IIIst place: Mammon | Spain | Director Nicole Cáceres

First Estonia Short Film | Teachers as Producers
=> Ist place: Herald | Directed by Tallinn Liikuri Kindergarten
=> IIst place: A doll's unusual journey through Estonia | Directed by Tallinn Liikuri Kindergarten, Joint project of Estonian kindergartens

First Estonia Short Film | Teachers as Authors
=> Ist place: Water World | Directed by Tallinn Liikuri Kindergarten Teacher Group
=> IIst place: BSP-9 | Directed by Tallinn Liikuri Kindergarten Teacher Group

First Film | Estonia
=> Ist place: On the Other Side Of | Director Mia Felić
=> IIst place: I’ll be back in spring | Director Kliment Tihhonov
=> IIIst place: Hey | Director Diana Condé

First International Short Film
=> Ist place: Camping | Canada | Directors Sacha Kai Michaud, Alyssa Ashmore, Nicole Calfchild
=> IIst place: Anyway | France | Director Nicolas Maurin
=> IIIst place: The little romance of Will-o'-the-Wisp and Raindrop | Belgium | Directors Baptiste Denuit, Johan Denis

Tallinn-based authors received prizes and diplomas, while the best films in each category were screened on the big screen! Authors from other countries will receive diplomas in electronic format.

Thank you for your support Tallinna Kodurahuprogramm and Tallinna Haridus- ja Noorteamet

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In an era of longevity, global shifts, and technological innovations, the international film festival «First Film» in Tallinn opens its doors to all those who aspire to express themselves through the world of cinema. In this new realm where audio-visual tools are becoming increasingly accessible, the festival invites individuals of varying ages and experiences to share their stories using the visual language of cinematography.

The «First Film» festival welcomes short animated, artistic, and documentary films created in any technique, spanning any genre and exploring any theme. What matters most is that your debut film reflects your convictions and conveys what you deem important to share with the world.

Uniqueness of the festival:
The emphasis on inclusivity, providing equal opportunities for participation to individuals with diverse experiences, ages, professions, and social backgrounds from Estonia and around the world. This will enable the support of new talents who may not have access to traditional platforms within the film industry.

Key Principles of the Festival:
«First Film» welcomes non-professionals who are venturing into filmmaking for the first time. The festival is open to individuals from all professions who, either independently or through educational courses, have decided to bring their ideas to life. The festival is not constrained by genres or techniques, be it fiction, documentary, or animation. What matters most is a passion for cinematography and a desire to tell a story that resonates with the creator. Participation categories include films by teachers and educators, debut works by adults and teenagers, as well as films created using new technologies, including AI.

Festival Objectives:
- Encouraging new talents in cinematography, regardless of their age and professional experience.
- Creating a platform for the exchange of experiences and ideas between emerging filmmakers and industry professionals.
- Promoting the use of new technologies in cinema, including artificial intelligence.
- Stimulating cultural exchange.

Categories:
- First International Short Film
- First Estonia Short Film
- First International & Estonia Short Film: Teachers as Authors | For films created by teachers of kindergartens, schools, colleges, and universities, where the teacher is the author of the film
- First International & Estonia Short Film: Teachers as Producers | For films created by children from kindergartens, schools, and colleges under the guidance of a teacher from that institution, where the teacher serves as the film’s producer
- International & Estonia Short Film submissions by teenage filmmakers aged 14-18
- International & Estonia Short Film Incorporating AI Technology

Venue:
- Panel discussions and masterclasses, along with additional events, take place at the Creative Space studio located at Soo 4, 10414 Tallinn, Estonia.
- Screenings of competition films will be held at the Apollo cinema.

- All films selected for the program will be honored with diplomas and laurels.
- The top three films in each category will receive valuable prizes.

The festival accepts films of all formats, genres and themes with a maximum length of 10 minutes (including the final subtitles), made in the years 2022-2023.
There is no premiere policy for submission.
Films are screened and evaluated by a professional jury.
The festival does not provide compensation for the screening of selected films in the program.
The festival does not have the capacity to cover travel and accommodation expenses during the festival.

The festival does not accept films by film students from film institutes.

By submitting your film, you agree that:
- Festival can use parts of your film (including trailer/teaser/film poster) for promotional purpose.
- All submissions (excluding films from Estonia) for the Festival are to be paid.
- The submission fee is non-refundable.
- You cannot withdraw your submission after the official selection announcement of each round.
- By submitting to the Festival, we consider that the submitter owns all the rights to the film.
- Films must be submitted via the FilmFreeway online screener only.
- Other press and complementary materials should be attached to the submission, such as logline, synopsis, stills, biographies, filmographies.
- The movie file must conform to one of the formats: MP4., H.264, Full HD or .mov. Audio: Stereo, 48 kHz, 16 bit. Animation video: 25 fps
- The films must include English subtitles (unless the spoken language is English).
- Selected films can be send online via wetransfer or by link Google Drive.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • What a wonderful first film festival experience! A treasured memory, and an event that allowed me, for the first time, to call myself a Filmmaker. Thanks!

    July 2024