PÖFF will host two significant events dedicated to Ukraine, bringing attention to the impact of war on children and highlighting opportunities for international film production in the country despite ongoing conflict. Both events gather distinguished Ukrainian artists and film industry leaders, offering powerful perspectives, artistic expression, and practical insight.
The international initiative Yellow-Blue Butterflies aims to draw global attention to the deported and displaced children of Ukraine. On World Children’s Day, PÖFF invites audiences to show solidarity and support, ensuring that these children feel remembered and welcomed at home.
Everyone is invited to write good wishes on yellow and blue slips of paper, which will be folded into hundreds of butterflies — symbols of childhood and hope — and delivered to the children who have been successfully brought back to Ukraine, as well as those still waiting to return.
The Yellow-Blue Butterflies initiative is being launched in Tallinn and will later be presented in various countries around the world and cities across Ukraine.
The programme features:
The event’s patron is Sirje Karis, First Lady of Estonia.
21 November at 15:00, Nordic Hotel Forum, Capella Hall
The panel will gather key decision-makers shaping the future of Ukrainian cinema, including the Head of the Ukrainian State Film Agency and the Head of the Association of Regional Film Commissions of Ukraine.
The session will provide:
Representatives of multiple regional film commissions — including Ivano-Frankivsk, Mariupol, Henichesk, Ternopil, Transcarpathia, Truskavets, and Zhytomyr — will be present to provide firsthand information and meet attendees.
Not to forget, that once again, the festival will feature films by Ukrainian directors and international filmmakers whose works focus on Ukraine. We invite you to explore the schedule of screenings within the Standing with Ukraine program at PÖFF.
The Standing with Ukraine program 2025 was initiated by Tiina Lokk, Director of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, and Andriy Osypov, Head of the State Film Agency of Ukraine. The co-organizers of the initiative are the Association of Ukrainian Organizations in Estonia and “Fresh Production Group”. The project is carried out with the support of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Estonia, the Association of Film Commissions of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Project Agency.
Both events underline PÖFF’s commitment to supporting Ukrainian culture, artists, and the future of filmmaking under extraordinary circumstances.