Mongolian film wins top prize at PÖFF

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he Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) awarded its grand prize for to a Mongolian film for the first time. The film, Silent City Driver, directed by Sengedorj Janchivdorj, explores themes of redemption and meaning through the story of Myagmar, a man seeking purpose after 14 years in prison.

“This grim tale of Mongolia surprised us. From the very first shot, we felt it was breaking new ground. It’s a very stylish film, but its style is the content, the formal choices are not used for nothing, but to go deeper into a very cinematic universe inhabited by unique characters, larger than life, but very, very human,” explained German director Christoph Hochhäusler, and leader of the jury

The grand prize, worth 20,000 euros, was sponsored by the City of Tallinn. Other major awards included Best Director for Nir Bergman’s Pink Lady, a portrayal of an unconventional love triangle within Jerusalem’s ultra-Orthodox community. Acting honours went to Elina Knihtilä and Pirjo Lonka for their performances in the Finnish comedy 100 Litres of Gold, and Hyo Je Lee for his role in the South Korean drama The Loop. The Audience Award went to Indian filmmaker Vinod Kapri for Pyre, a heartfelt story set in a Himalayan village.

The festival also recognised achievements in the debut and documentary categories, with the Best Baltic Film Award going to Lithuanian director Ignas Miškinis for The Southern Chronicles, co-produced by Estonia’s Nafta Films.

To learn more about this and similar topics
Black Nights Film Festival Film Events in Estonia International Film Awards Mongolian films PÖFF 2024 Sengedorj Janchivdorj Tallinn Film Festival