The national delegation from Botswana visited the Black Nights Film Festival to explore how a small country like Estonia manages to host an A-category festival.

The delegation, composed of cultural representatives and officials from Botswana, was welcomed by PÖFF’s director Tiina Lokk, who introduced the history of the festival and spoke about the ongoing efforts required to maintain its A-category status. The discussion also touched on the SuMu model for assessing the socio-economic impact of major cultural and sporting events, as well as the development of the film industry in Ida-Viru County.

“It is essential to have a strong international network in order to showcase films from 79 countries. That’s why this meeting is so important for us, as it fills a significant gap in our contacts across Africa and gives hope that in the future more films from the region will come to participate at the festival,” said Lokk.

During this year’s festival PÖFF will screen its first ever film from Botswana, the short film The Hill of Lovers by Moreetsi Gabang, featured in the international competition programme of PÖFF Shorts.

The delegation from Botswana is visiting Estonia as part of a creative industries and film study trip funded by the European Commission and organised in Estonia by the Ministry of Culture. Over the course of five days, the delegation will visit various cultural and educational institutions, including the Estonian Film Institute and the Baltic Film, Media and Arts School of Tallinn University.

With a population of 2.5 million, Botswana’s film industry is still emerging and the country is seeking inspiration and expertise from abroad on how to develop it further.

This year, PÖFF is also hosting official meetings with delegations from Ukraine, Austria and Catalonia.