From 8–15 August, the 21st Tartuff festival will once again turn Tartu Town Hall Square into Estonia's largest open-air cinema.
Expanding to an eight-day programme, this year's festival features acclaimed international films, beloved classics, documentaries and a for a first time a curated selection of short films—all exploring the many dimensions of love and human relationships.
The festival opens with the acclaimed Thai drama Gohan, which has already captivated audiences across Asia and been sold to more than 40 countries. Inspired by the lives of stray dogs and modern-day loneliness, the film follows Gohan, a rescued white dog whose journey through three different homes profoundly changes the lives of everyone he meets. Directed by Chayanop Boonprakob, Nattawut Poonpiriya and Atta Hemwadee, the film is a moving story about belonging, compassion and the many forms love can take.
The closing night will feature Baz Luhrmann's dazzling musical classic Moulin Rouge!, celebrating the film's 25th anniversary and bringing one of cinema's most iconic love stories back to the big screen.
From Contemporary Cinema to Timeless Classics
The Town Hall Square programme also showcases a rich selection of contemporary international cinema, ranging from heartfelt dramas to feel-good comedies. The line-up includes the romantic drama Next Life, directed by Drake Doremus and starring Emilia Clarke and Edgar Ramírez; the Chinese family drama Unexpected Family, directed by Li Taiyan and featuring Jackie Chan in an unusually restrained role; Géraldine Nakache's French-Belgian family story Think Good; Aina Clotet's Spanish drama Viva; Igor Šeregi's Croatian-Serbian comedy The Wedding; and Alex Camilleri's musical Maltese road movie Zejtune.
Think Good
The open-air programme also revisits unforgettable classics and audience favourites. The line-up includes Me Before You, directed by Thea Sharrock, marking ten years since its release; Stand by Me, celebrating its 40th anniversary and screened in tribute to its late director, Rob Reiner; Jacques Deray's slow-burning thriller The Swimming Pool; Pedro Almodóvar's provocative Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!; and Martin Scorsese's psychological thriller Cape Fear, returning to the big screen 35 years after its premiere.
For th first time the programme includes a screening Shorts@Tartuff: Shorts, with Love, a curated selection of live-action, documentary and animated short films made between 2019 and 2024, exploring the many shades of love and desire. Described by the programmers as "romantic and sexy", the selection features Vegan Mayonnaise by Hungary's Zsófi Herczegi, Fanny by France's Guillaume Scaillet, Climax by Germany's Bea Höller, Cyberbull! by US directors Hannah McSwiggen and Russell Sheaffer, Paola Makes a Wish by Swiss-Kazakh director Zhannat Alshanova, Carrotica by Germany's Daniel Sterlin-Altman, Embarrassing Intimacy by UK directors Emma Jude Harris and Emily Steck, and The Distance Between Us and the Sky by Greek filmmaker Vasilis Kekatos. The latter is the best-known title in the programme, having won the Short Film Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019.
Love Through Documentary Cinema
Tartu Elektriteater’s documentary programme brings together eight compelling documentaries exploring love, friendship, family, identity and human connection across cultures and generations The selection includes Sze-Wei Chan’s 10s Across the Borders, following Southeast Asian dancers who find hope and community through ballroom culture; Nong Nhat Quang’s Baby Jackfruit Baby Guava, in which an unexpected pregnancy leads a family to revisit its past; and Birds of War by Janay Boulos and Abd Alkader Habak, a love story unfolding through 13 years of revolution, war and exile.
The programme also features Lucas Paleocrassas’s Bugboy, a tender portrait of a boy’s unlikely friendship with an insect; Juliette Binoche’s In-I in Motion, which reveals the acclaimed actress’s work as a dancer; Inka Achté’s Soap Fever, exploring Finland’s fascination with the television series The Bold and the Beautiful; Ryan Marley’s The Blind Couple from Mali, a portrait of the celebrated musical duo Amadou & Mariam; and Orlando von Einsiedel’s The Cycle of Love, following a Delhi street artist on a journey across continents to reunite with the woman he loves.
The Wedding
As always, all screenings in the Town Hall Square and in the art-house cinema Elektriteater are free of charge, making Tartuff one of Europe's largest free open-air film festivals.
Celebrating its 21st edition this year, Tartuff has grown into one of Estonia's most beloved summer cultural events, attracting tens of thousands of visitors each year. By combining high-quality international cinema with free public access in the heart of Tartu, the festival has created a unique meeting place where film becomes a shared experience and love remains the universal language.
Festival is supported by Elisa and Tartu City.
The full programme is available at here
*Photo is still from Viva.