Winners of the XXXVIII Pärnu Film Festival

Matthew Lancit, Olga Semak ja Marta Kovářová

We await submissions from all over the world.

In the year 2025,
our special focus will be on indigenous peoples and their disappearing cultures.

Submit your film

PFF2025

Welcome to Pärnu Film Festival!

XXXIX Pärnu Documentary and Science Film Festival will take place on October 5–12, 2025 in Pärnu
and on air of Estonian Television, followed October 13–19, 2025 in other locations of Estonia. The awarded
docs will be screened at the Estonian Art Museum in Tallinn as well as at the Estonian National Museum in Tartu.

We await submissions from all over the world. In the year 2025, our special focus will be
on indigenous peoples and their disappearing cultures.

Early submission’s entry fee is 10 euros up to April 1, 2025.

Late submission’s entry fee from April 2 to June 1, 2025, is 20 euros.

Student films submitted during this period qualify for a reduced entry fee of 10 euros.

Filmmakers residing in Ukraine may submit their films free of charge.

The selection committee will announce their decision latest by August 1, 2025.

We hope to compose a powerful program of docs of high artistic and scientific quality. From the very
beginning, our focus has been on folk arts, disappearing cultures as well as future of young people.
In the time of bloody wars, we seek docs with messages for a peaceful world.

Before submitting your film, please read and accept Regulations of our festival.

Read through festival regulations Regulations
Pay your submission 10 or 20 eur via Pay/Pal
Fill in and submit the entry form that you will receive after payment
Deadline for submissions is June 1, 2025!

XXXVIII Pärnu Film Festival Awards

Awards of XXXVIII Pärnu Film Festival

DEMIURGE

by Olga Semak, Ukraine
Estonian People’s Award
Voted by the audience of Estonian Television
The prize was ethnographic blanket weaved by Christi Kütt

PLAY DEAD!

By Matthew Lancit, France, Portugal, Canada
with GRAND PRIZE of the festival
as the best artistic achievement
The winner was chosen by a five-member jury consisting of Anna Hints, Marina Shkarupa,
Tushar Prakash, Dane Dodds, Silvia Lotman
The prize was ethnographic blanket weaved by Christi Kütt

BON VOYAGE

by Karine Birgé, Belgium
Special mention of the festival jury in the category of best artistic achievement

THE DAIRY GARDEN

by Marc Weymuller, France
Special mention of the festival jury in the category of best artistic achievement

WE WANT TO LIVE HERE

by Aleksandrina Turcan, Ukraine
The best doc for youth
The decision of the jury of the students of Sütevaka Humanitarian High School
The prize was a carpet embroidered by Riina Pull

CYBORG

by Carey Born
United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, USA
The best science film
The winner was chosen by the jury of the Estonian Academy of Young Scientists
The prize was a carpet embroidered by Riina Pull

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO MY DAD

by Marta Kovářová
Czech Republic, Slovakia
Special mention of the jury of the Estonian Academy of Young Scientists as the best portrait of a scientist

ROMAN TOI BEAUTIFUL SONGS

by Kalli Paakspuu
Canada
Special mention for brilliant recording of Estonian music history

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

AWARD CEREMONY of the XXXVIII PFF

The festival began at the former Tõhela dairy on October 6, 2024.

Tõhela rahvamaja

The festival awards ceremony took place on October 13 at the Festival Palace in Pärnu.

The festival continued from October 15 to 20 at the Estonian National Museum in Tartu and Heimtali Community Center and concluded at the Kõpu dairy.

ERM

Kõpu meierei

Kõpu meierei seanss

Heimtali rahvamaja

PÄRNU FILM FESTIVAL 2023

AWARDS

NO HERO AT ALL by Michal Kawecki, Poland – the Estonian People’s Award voted by the audience of Estonian Television.

!AITSA by Dane Dodds, Denmark – GRAND PRIZE as the best artistic achievement.

REMAINS by Linus Mork, Denmark – as the best science film.

AMONG US WOMEN by Sarah Noa Bozenhardt and Daniel Abate Tilahun, Germany – as the best doc on survival of indigenous peoples.

HELL`S STOKER by Kullar Viimne, Estonia – as the best full length art doc.

CARPENTER by Xelil Sehragerd, Kurdistan – as the best short art doc.

TELL ME MY STORY by Maciej Miller, Poland – as the best short film.

CALLS by Ming-Wei Chiang and COQ AU VIN by Ville Seppänen – as the best student docs.

DOCTOR APA by Ibadilla Adzhibaev, Kyrgyzstan – with the special mention for an outstanding recording of survival of native peoples.

WHAT`S HECUBA TO HIM by Peteris Krilovs and Iveta Budrevica, Latvia – with the special mention for the high artistic and human value.

LANDSCAPE AFTER HOLODOMOR by Yuri Tereshchenko, Ukraine – with the special mention for the high historical recording.

DANS LES BRA by Nathalie Rosetti, Belgium – with the special mention for a very warm message to human beings.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Michal Kawecki (left) – winner of the Estonian People’s Award for the documentary NO HERO AT ALL.

Dane Dodds (right) – winner of the GRAND PRIZE as the best artistic achievement for !AITSA.

AWARD CEREMONY of the XXXVII PFF

Kullar Viimne, director, and Eric Norkroos, producer of the best art doc film HELL’S STOKER. Seaküla Simson, the main character of the film

Alain Verschueren, the main character of the film IN THE ARMS

On behalf of the XXXVI Pärnu International Documentary and Science Film Festival we award the masterpiece TELL ME MY STORY by Maciej Miller as the best short film.