Are you planning to visit Tartu in August?
The largest outdoor cinema in the Baltics is a MUST!
The Tartu Love Film Festival Tartuff, organised by the Black Nights Film Festival, will take place in Tartu's Town Hall Square (Raeplats), where guests will be able to enjoy films on a big screen specially set up for the occasion. From 5 to 10 August, Tartu Town Hall Square will be transformed into a giant ticket-free cinema hall for the 19th year in a row.
Altogether, 12 more-or-less love films will be screened at the open-air cinema, followed by the youth- and documentary programme at Tartu Elektriteater cinema. The full programme will be announced in mid-July.
The director of the Tartuff festival is Johan Kudu, and the programme director is Edvinas Pukšta, a renowned programmer and curator of the Baltic Film Competition at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.
Tartuff announced two first films from this year's programme.
The first, Hajjan is a coming-of-age drama from Saudi Arabia, directed by Abu Bakr Shawky.
Film critics describe the film with the following words: "It brings the spirit of the American Westerners to the vast deserts of the Arabian Peninsula". The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival 2023, and also caused long ticked queues at Saudi box offices earlier this year.
When the older brother dies in a race under suspicious circumstances, a teenager, Matar, rides a camel to avenge him. In a story richly steeped in Arabic folklore, the fate of Matar and his camel, Hofira, intertwines in the most moving way, and their struggle for justice takes on a larger-than-life dimension.
Fun fact: In order to highlight the importance of domestic camels in the daily lives and culture of the people of the Arabian Peninsula., 2024 has been designated the Year of the Camel in Saudi Arabia.
Secondly, The Taiwan-France film Salli marks the feature debut of Taipei-based filmmaker Lien Chien-Hung after several acclaimed short films and a TV movie.
In this feel-good love film, Hui-Jun, a chicken farmer approaching middle age but still single, meets the man of her dreams, Martin, a Paris-based gallerist, through a dating app and doesn't believe those who say Martin doesn't really exist and is just being squeezed for money. She decides to travel to Paris to track him down.
This fascinating story gives hope that it is never too late to look for love and to discover yourself.
Tartu Love Film Festival Tartuff is presented by Elisa. Read more about the festival HERE.