Baltic Audiovisual Sector: 900 Professionals Gather for Tallinn's 25th Anniversary

The Industry at Tallinn and Baltic Event faces a critical juncture as it marks its 25th anniversary. The central challenge for the regional audiovisual sector is converting temporary international attention into long-term professional stability. Marge Liiske, who has led the platform since 2016, identifies this shift from visibility to continuity as the primary hurdle for Baltic producers.

The event runs concurrently with the 30th edition of the Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia. This year's conference attracts a record 900 accredited professionals from 54 countries. Approximately 100 of these attendees are sales agents, distributors, and festival programmers. The program includes 71 projects, split between 44 films and 21 series. Over 100 panels address audience design, sales, and distribution strategies.

Liiske joined the organization in 2013 to manage the Baltic Event Co-Production Market after seven years at the Estonian Film Foundation. Her first priority was merging separate industry strands into a single brand. This consolidation allowed the platform to grow by adding new layers rather than simply expanding existing markets. The event also benefited from the festival receiving A-category status in 2014, which increased press and industry attendance.

Major structural changes have occurred over the last decade. Series content was introduced in 2017 with the world premiere of Babylon Berlin. This led to the creation of the TV Beats strand, which includes a conference program, co-financing market, and screenings. Talent programs were consolidated under the Discovery Campus in 2021, a year that also saw the addition of a short film industry program. In 2023, dedicated industry days for children's and youth film were added.

This year's focus is on the Baltic region, represented by 310 professionals, 81 films, and 21 projects. A spotlight on Basque audiovisual content includes a delegation of 10 professionals and nine films. The schedule has been restructured for efficiency. Script Pool and Co-Production Market projects present on Wednesday afternoon. Works in Progress sessions occur on Thursday morning and early afternoon. This leaves the rest of Thursday and all of Friday for networking.

The Discovery Campus now operates from a dedicated hub at the Tallink Spa and Conference Hotel. This central space allows emerging talents to interact more easily. Co-production trends show producers engaging with international partners earlier in development. Partnerships are no longer limited to neighbors, with increased collaboration from France, Italy, and Poland. The current Co-Production Market includes 15 projects from 10 countries. Eight of these projects are directed by debut filmmakers.

TV Beats will open with a screening of the latest season of Babylon Berlin, marking a homecoming for the series. The forum will examine the showrunner model across European traditions and invite writers to collaborate through the European Writers Club. Seven series screenings are scheduled throughout the event. The Discovery Campus features masterclasses with industry figures, including Sir Christopher Hampton, who will discuss adaptation.

Liiske states that the event is supported by Creative Europe MEDIA, the Estonian Ministry of Culture, and other partners. Costs have risen, but the organization has become more efficient by being selective about guest expenses. A specific session will explore how AI can support hand-crafted, cross-cultural storytelling rather than focusing on the tools themselves. The event aims to provide producers with practical tools for developing audience strategies from the start of a project.