Tallinn Film Market Shifts Focus to IP and Gaming

The Estonian capital hosts the audiovisual industry’s busiest business platform for Northern Europe each year. This November, the 25th edition of the Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event (ITBE) launches alongside the 30th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. The market opens on Friday and will run through the weekend, offering a dense schedule of panels, pitch sessions, and workshops for film professionals.

Marge Liiske, the head of ITBE, says the program this year returns to fundamentals after heavy discussions on financing in previous years. She notes that the current lineup focuses on distribution, sales, and digital marketing to help producers reach audiences. Liiske states, “We try to give them the necessary tools to increase the possibilities for films that they have been preparing and producing and make them visible to audiences.”

Artificial intelligence, a dominant topic at the market for the past five years, takes a back seat this year. Liiske explains that while ITBE still hosts the final module of a Mastering AI for European Film Professionals training course, general panel discussions on the subject have decreased. The course is organized by the National Film School of Denmark, Filmforward, ITBE, and The Norwegian Film School with support from the Creative Europe MEDIA program.

Gaming receives renewed attention in the industry sessions. Liiske recalls that gaming was part of the program in 2016, but European development funding dried up in subsequent years. Now, the market is bringing the focus back to the sector. New sessions will examine the differences in financing and storytelling between video games and traditional film or series formats. Liiske hopes participants will use these insights to diversify their production portfolios.

Intellectual property protection is another major theme. Sessions will cover how to adapt books and existing IP while preserving rights. The Baltic Event Co-Production Market will feature 15 titles from 10 countries, and the Script Pool will showcase five selected scripts from producing nations including Estonia, Latvia, and Canada. The TV Beats Co-Financing Market presents 10 drama series projects, and the Discovery Campus hosts 24 emerging professionals from 17 countries.

A special focus on the Basque region is included in the program, with a session on November 19 detailing regional funding schemes and tax incentives. The Just Film Industry Days return to discuss content for kids and youth. Liiske notes that approximately 40 percent of attendees visit the market specifically to discover new partners or stories from the Baltic region. The event reinforces the market's role as a hub for Nordic and Baltic collaboration despite its broader international scope.

High-profile guests include Christopher Hampton, the two-time Oscar-winning screenwriter and PÖFF jury president, who will lead a masterclass on adaptation. Other attendees include casting director Yngvill Kolset Haga and cinematographer Julio Macat. The market also hosts the international premiere of the first episode of the final season of Babylon Berlin on Sunday, November 15. The German drama series, which premiered in Germany on September 10, marks a full-circle moment for the market since its first season also debuted in Tallinn.