Born in 1987 from the idea by Lennart Meri’s (writer/filmmaker and President of Estonia 1992 – 2001) and directed by Mark Soosaar (film maker and MP 2003-2016), the event was entitled as the Pärnu International Visual Anthropology Film Festival. For today, it has become the oldest film festival in the Baltic countries. Starting from the aim to reflect tragic situations of indigenous peoples and saving their cultures from disappearance, the festival was growing and expanding to an international event for different kinds of documentary and scientific filmmakers. The new name is today the Pärnu International Documentary and Science Film Festival.
We still seek authentic doc stories and outstanding masterpieces on survival of indigenous peoples through their dramatic conflicts with outer world.
Today the program of the festival includes social problems of all contemporary societies, portraits of creative people as well as films on professional and folk arts.
Children and young people have always been included, both at the workshops and watching the competition programs for kids and youth. The main subjects of the festival are: Human Interest, Social Issues, Arts, Music, Survival of Native Cultures, Docs for Kids, Docs by Students, Portraits of Great Persons in Arts and Science.
We were the first and are still today the only film festival where the whole of our nation can watch most outstanding docs and vote for the winner. It happens thanks to Estonian Television broadcasting competition of 5 most outstanding docs nominees for the very desired prize – The Estonian People’s Award. This trophee – an ethnic handwoven Estonian blanket was won by such stars of film art as Agnes Varda, Kersti Ubo, Nicolas Philibert etc. Nobody knows who will bocome the next in 2024…
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.
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).
ALL IS WELL by Petra Lataster-Czisch, Holland, Ukraine
The winner was chosen as a result of voting on the phone.
The award is an ethnographic blanket embroidered by Riina Pull.
Votes in the cultural portal of Estonian National Broadcasting resulted in the documentary
WHERE WE USED TO SLEEP by Matthäus Wörle, Germany, Romania.
The award is an ethnographic blanket embroidered by Riina Pull.
A TOWER by Kullar Viimne, Estonia
The winner was chosen by a jury formed of Ukrainian film makers: Olga Semak, Lesia Diak, Marina Shkarupa.
The award is an ethnographic blanket embroidered by Riina Pull.
YUPUMA by Verónica Castro & Kawá Huni Kuin, Portugal, Brazil
The winner was chosen by a jury of Estonian National Museum: Pille Runnel, Karin Leivategija, Maido Selgmäe.
The award is an ethnographic blanket embroidered by Riina Pull.
IRABU by Okada Kazuo & Suzuki Yuki, Japan
DAWN DANCERS by Anush Hamzehian & Flavio Nani, France, Italy
The winner was chosen by doctors of Pärnu Hospital.
DOCTOR ON A TRIP by David Čálek, Tšechia, Brazil
CRONOPIO by Dāvis Cipsts, Latvia, Estonia
The winner was chosen by the students of Pärnu Sütevaka High School.
ULLA by Ábel Szeszler, Finland, Estonia
by Olga Semak, Ukraine
Estonian People’s Award
Voted by the audience of Estonian Television
The prize was ethnographic blanket weaved by Christi Kütt
By Matthew Lancit, France, Portugal, Canada
with GRAND PRIZE of the festival
as the best artistic achievement
The winner was chosen by a five-member jury consisting of Anna Hints, Marina Shkarupa, Tushar Prakash, Dane Dodds, Silvia Lotman
The prize was ethnographic blanket weaved by Christi Kütt
by Karine Birgé, Belgium
Special mention of the festival jury in the category of best artistic achievement
by Marc Weymuller, France
Special mention of the festival jury in the category of best artistic achievement
by Aleksandrina Turcan, Ukraine
The best doc for youth
The decision of the jury of the students of Sütevaka Humanitarian High School
The prize was a carpet embroidered by Riina Pull
by Carey Born
United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, USA
The best science film
The winner was chosen by the jury of the Estonian Academy of Young Scientists
The prize was a carpet embroidered by Riina Pull
by Marta Kovářová
Czech Republic, Slovakia
Special mention of the jury of the Estonian Academy of Young Scientists as the best portrait of a scientist
by Kalli Paakspuu
Canada
Special mention for brilliant recording of Estonian music history
