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The XXXVIII Pärnu Film Festival will take place:
The Festival Palace in Pärnu and on air of Estonian TV October 6th–13th,
The Estonian National Museum ERM in Tartu and Estonian Art Museum KUMU in Tallinn on October 13 – 20, 2024.

Only docs of high artistic and scientific value, recording human activities in social, historical or ecological context are accepted for competition screenings. Newest forms of audiovisual expression are preferred.
We don’t accept films which are against human values or encourage hatred and discrimination between races, neighbours, nations. All copies of docs selected for the festival program will be kept in the video library of the Museum of New Art, Pärnu, for educational use.
The official language of the festival is English.

The festival is supported by Estonian Film Institute, Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Town of Pärnu, the Port of Pärnu, Hotel Victoria, Museum of New Art in Pärnu.

 

History In Pictures

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AWARDS OF THE PÄRNU FILM FESTIVAL

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Winners of the GRAND PRIZE – the best film of the festival:

2023 – !AITSA vy Dane Dodds (Denmark)
2022 – THE WAKEFUL SLEEPER by Boris van der Avoort (Belgium)
2021 – A MAN AND A CAMERA by Guido Hendrikx (The Netherlands)
2020 – ANIMAL IMAGE by Perttu Saksa (Finland)

2019 – SUMMA by Andrei Kutsila (Belarus/Poland)
2018 OF FATHERS AND SONS by Talal Derki (Germany/Syria/Lebanon/Qatar)
2017 – DEAD WHEN I GOT HERE by Mark Aitken (Mexico/UK)
2016 – WEDDING: A FILM by Mohammadreza Farzad (Iran)
2015 – THOSE WHO FEEL THE FIRE BURNING by Morgan Knibbe (The Netherlands)
2014 – RAMIN by Audrius Stonys (Latvia)
2013 – THE LAST STATION by Cristian Soto and Catalina Vergara (Chili)
2012 – WITH FIDEL WHATEVER HAPPENS by Goran Radovanovic (Serbia)
2011 – TEACHER IRENA by Itamar Chen (Israel);
VODKA FACTORY by Jerzy Skladkowski (Sweden);
2010 – STEAM OF LIFE by Joonas Berghäll and Mika Hotakainen (Finland);
2009 – LEFT BEHIND by Fabian Daub and Andreas Gräfenstein (Germany);
2008 – GUGARA by Andrzej Dybczak and Jacek Naglowski (Poland);
2007 – THE SEEDS by Wojsiech Kasperski (Poland);
2006 – BEFORE FLYING TO THE EARTH by Arunas Matelis (Lithuania);
2005 – THE 3 ROOMS OF MELANCHOLIA by Pirjo Honkasalo (Finland);
2004 – EBBA AND TORGNY by Johan Palmgren (Sweden);
2003 – NOW YOU ARE HAMLET by Ulrika Bengts (Finland);
2002 – I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU UNTIL I DIE by Maciej Adamek (Poland);
2001 – KUSUM by Jouko Aaltonen (Finland);
2000 – IN SEARCH OF SHANGRI-LA by Wen Pu Lin (China);
1999 – THE ARTIST’S LIFE by Lasse Naukkarinen (Finland);
1998 – GAIA’S CHILDREN by Bente Milton (Denmark);
1997 – PORTAL TO PEACE by Thomas Stenderup (Denmark);
1996 – PARADISE by Sergei Dvortsevoy (Russia);
1995 – EVALD’S ACRE by Kersti Uibo (Estonia/UK);
1994 – LIVING ON THE AGANO RIVER by Makoto Sato (Japan);
1993 – TAIGA NOMADS by Heimo Lappalainen (Finland);
1992 – A VISIT by Kari Happonen (Finland);
1991 – THE ALLOTMENT GARDEN by Lise Roos (Denmark);
1990 – SONG OF HARMONICS by Hugo Zemp (France);
1989 – CROSS-STREET by Ivars Seleckis (Latvia);
1988 – VIDAROSEN by Jon Jerstad (Norway);
1987 – WINTER IN ICE CAMP by Asen Balikci (Canada).

Winners of the Estonian People’s Awards:

2023 – NO HERO AT ALL by Michal Kawecki (Poland)
2022 – TALES OF A TOY HORSE by Ulyana Osovska (Ukraine/Estonia)
2021- THE SCHOOL OF HOPE by Mohamed El Aboud (Morocco/Finland)
2020 – MY DEAR MOTHER by Paul-Anders Simma (Finland)

2019 – BUDDY by Heddy Honigmann (The Netherlands)
2018 – REBEL SURGEON by Erik Gandini (Sweden)
2017 – A BASTARD CHILD by Knutte Wester (Sweden)
2016 – MUSSA by Anat Goren (Israel)
2015 – SOMETHING BETTER TO COME by Hanna Polak (Denmark)
2014 – MERCY MERCY by Katrine Riis Kjaer (Denmark)
2013 – ROMAN POLANSKI: A FILM MEMOIRE by Laurent Bouzereau (Switzerland)
2012 – ONCE THERE WAS LOVE by Kage Jonsson and Hakan Pieniowski (Sweden)
2011 – VILLAGE WITHOUT WOMEN by Srdjan Sarenac (Serbia);
2010 – A GOOD MAN by Safina Uberoi (Australia);
2009 – FLYING WITH ONE ENGINE by Josuha Weinstein (USA);
2008 – MOTHER by Antoine Cattin (France) and Pavel Kostomarov (Russia);
2007 – FIRST LESSON IN PEACE by Yoram Honig (Israel);
2006 – THE DEVIL’S MINER by Richard Ladkani and Kief Davidson (Germany);
2005 – DO YOU LOVE ME? by Lars Westman (Sweden);
2004 – MY FLESH AND BLOOD by Jonathan Karsh (USA);
2003 – TO BE AND TO HAVE by Nicolas Philibert (France);
2002 – NARROW IS THE GATE by Kersti Uibo (Estonia/UK);
2001 – CLEANERS AND I by Agnes Varda (France);
2000 – GRANDFATHERS AND REVOLUTIONS by Peter Hegedus (Australia);
1999 – SALTMEN OF TIBET by Ulrike Koch (Switzerland).


On the photo: Ville Niemi (on the left), author of ″World´s Fire″, one of the two Best Student Docs and Paul-Andres Simma, winner of the Estonian People´s Award for his film ″My Dear Mother″

Winners of the 34th Pärnu Film Festival

NATIONWIDE COMPETITION ON ESTONIAN TELEVISION

Theme: Human Rights Naked

MY DEAR MOTHER by Paul-Anders Simma (Finland)

The Estonian People´s Award as voted by the TV-audience

INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

ANIMAL IMAGE by Perttu Saksa (Finland)

Grand Prize of the festival as the best artistic achievement

THEN COMES THE EVENING by Maja Novaković (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Special Mention of the International Jury

THE TOUGH by Marcin Polar (Poland)

Best Short Doc in the category of Between Life and Death

PRIPYAT PIANO by Eliška Cílková (Czech Republic)

Special mention in the category of Between Life and Death

Members of the International Jury:

Andrei Kutsila 

Jaan Tootsen

Kersti Uibo

Liis Nimik

Lukas Berger

Mário Gajo de Carvalho

Mark Aitken

COMPETITION FOR THE BEST ART DOCUMENTARY

ASAK by Mahdi Zamanpour Kiasari (Iran)

Best Art Doc

Members of the Jury from the Estonian Art Museum KUMU:

Mare Pedanik

Sirje Helme 

Eda Tuulberg

COMPETITION FOR THE BEST SCIENTIFIC DOCUMENTARY

WHAT IF BABEL WAS JUST A MYTH? by Sandrine Loncke (France)

Members of the Jury:

Kira Jääskeläinen 

Garri Raagmaa

Karl Pajusalu

COMPETITION FOR THE BEST STUDENT DOCUMENTARY

WORLD’S FIRE by Ville Niemi (Finland)

FUCK, IT’S BIOLOGY by Veronica Andersson (Sweden/Poland)

Best Doc by Student (both)

As voted by the students of Baltic Film and Media School