Over the past years, Discovery Campus, the international continuing education programme organised by Black Nights Film Festival and Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event has proudly highlighted emerging voices and fresh talent from across the screen industries. In 2025, we continue this mission by introducing 40 standout young creators and professionals.

Discovery Campus ties together established talent programmes - Script Pool Project Competition, Black Nights Stars, Music Meets Film, Black Room, and Frame within a Frame. Take a moment to meet the rising stars in directing, screenwriting, cinematography, film music, makeup & hairstyling, as well as a new generation of actors on the verge of international recognition. These are the names to remember - the ones you’ll be seeing and hearing much more from in the years ahead.

Also, Discovery Campus hosts many open masterclasses, workshops, and public lectures led by top-tier professionals, available to anyone with an accreditation to Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event or a day ticket! Make sure to check the program! 

JOIN THE DISCOVERY CAMPUS MASTERCLASSES WITH WORLD-CLASS MENTORS IN TALLINN

In addition to closed events, the international continuing-education programme Discovery Campus, taking place form 18-21 November, will host also a selection of open masterclasses, workshops, and public lectures led by top-tier professionals, including Hollywood costume designer Debra McGuire, director Jessica Hausner, BAFTA-winning composer Atli Örvarsson, and Emmy-nominated composer Miriam Cutler.

The programme spans multiple tracks, including filmmaking, cinematography, screenwriting, music and acting. Public events include panel discussions like “Can Film Schools Keep Up with the Industry?”, a session on visual development, and a master-class with Debra McGuire on makeup and hairstyle artistry.

Here is a selection of other public events:

• Meet the Director with Jessica Hausner, who will share insights from her career journey,
• Open Lecture by Costume Designer Debra McGuire, best known for her 10-year run on the hit show Friends, will present her career journey starting from the 80's.
• A Post Lab: Cutting corners for micro budget, experts Niko Remus and Katriel Schory explain how to work creatively with limited budgets without sacrificing quality,
• Master Screening of the Norwegian film The Emigrant, followed by a presentation from cinematographer John-Christian Rosenlund, FNF,
• The Business of Film workshop on financing, profit models, and the business side of filmmaking by Patrick Fisher,
• Masterclass with BAFTA-winning composer Atli Örvarsson, moderated by Estonian composer Ardo Ran Varres,
• Panel discussion “Netflix, Tenet and Viking: Valhalla - what opportunities do these films and series bring to actors from the Baltic Sea region?" with participants including Frank Moiselle (casting director, Viking Valhalla), Heli Jürisson (casting director, The Agency, Tenet), Raakel Huikuri (talent agent, Viking Valhalla), and actors Pääru Oja and Henessi Schmidt, both alumni of the Black Nights Stars programme.

And there is much more... See the full programme of Discovery Campus open events here.

Don’t miss this chance to learn directly from industry leaders and connect with creative peers in Tallinn!

Participation requires Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event accreditation or a day pass.

The Script Pool programme features a series of panels and workshops that offer invaluable guidance for launching a first film project, while creating numerous opportunities to connect with industry professionals and expand professional networks. Each participating team works closely with renowned script advisor Marietta von Hausswolff von Baumgarten, and with screenwriter and script consultant David Pope.

The projects are:

• Alfred Krauze: The Case of a Missing Parrot, written and directed by Kristina Parvatkina, produced by Vadim Zaikovsky. Production company: Wilx SIA (Latvia)
• Apoteos, written and directed by Christofer Nilsson, produced by Annegret Kunath. Production company: Råttunge Produktion (Sweden)
• FLORA, When We Wish Upon a Star, written and directed by Isabel Fernández Cañadas Soriano, produced by Isabel Fernández Cañadas Soriano (Spain)
• The Hour between Dog and Wolf, written and directed by Terézia Halamová, produced by Natalia Pavlove, Other Stories (Czech Republic)
• White Ship, written and directed by Teresa Väli, produced by Inger Põder. Production company: Homeless Bob Production (Estonia)

The winner of Script Pool’s main award for the Most Promising Project will receive an exclusive opportunity to attend The Write Retreat in Mallorca, presented by law firm TEGOS.

Learn more here about the Script Pool Programme, including the open events everyone can attend with an accreditation or day ticket, of Script Pool programme
 

BLACK ROOM 2025 SPOTLIGHTS THE ART OF MAKEUP AND HAIR DESIGN IN FILM

Running from 19-21 November 2025, the Black Room holds an immersive series of masterclasses, workshops, and open lectures designed for emerging and established professionals in film craft, design, and visual storytelling.

Each year, eight emerging talents are selected to take part in Black Room. This year’s participants come from across the Baltic region and beyond: Agata Śmiałko (Poland), Anete Sidlovska (Latvia), Edith Eller (Estonia), Eliise Sepp (Estonia), Eglė Žaliauskaitė (Lithuania), Liisbeth Liidemaa (Estonia), Liisi Põllumaa (Estonia) and Maija Gundare (Latvia).

This year’s highlights include a closed session with Thomas Foldberg, who will share insight into character & prosthetic makeup design, including technical solutions, case studies, and creative process. In a workshop for Black Room selected participants Nina Paskowitz, Hollywood’s veteran department-head hairstylist, will reflect on her 30-plus year career and mentoring on working with talent, wigs, natural hair, extensions, and sustainable practices.

One of the most anticipated events will be an open lecture by Debra McGuire, renowned costume designer known for her work on Friends, Sonic the Hedgehog and many other titles, on the visual journey and refinement of process in costume design. Currently Debra designs for Jennifer Aniston in The Morning Show.

For full programme details, schedule, locations, and accreditation or day tickets, visit the Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event website.

BLACK NIGHTS STARS REVEALS EIGHT RISING ACTORS FOR 2025 LINEUP

Black Nights Stars, the talent-spotlighting platform of Discovery Campus, the international education programme at Industy@Tallinn & Baltic Event, has revealed the eight emerging actors and actresses selected for its 2025 edition.

The eight selected Black Nights Stars 2025 are: Freddie Mosten Jacob (Sweden), Karolina Bruchnicka (Poland), Kasparas Varanavičius (Lithuania), Kristiin Räägel (Estonia), Saku Taittonen (Finland), Samirah Breuer (Germany), Tessa Hoder (Denmark), and Ursel Tilk (Estonia).

The selected Black Nights Stars will gather in Tallinn from 18 to 21 Novemberin 2025. Over the course of the program, they will meet with casting directors, talent agents, producers, and directors, while participating in a series of workshops, panels, and networking events. The activities will be designed to equip the young actors with new skills, connections, and insights, offering them unprecedented access to opportunities in the international film industry. Check the programme

As part of the Discovery Campus initiative, the eight chosen actors will also receive the Black Nights Stars Discovery Campus ICDA Award, recognizing their outstanding potential and their selection as Black Nights Stars 2025.

EIGHT EMERGING CINEMATOGRAPHERS TO TAKE PART IN AN IMMERSIVE, TECH-FORWARD JOURNEY IN TALLINN & HELSINKI

The selected cinematographers taking part in Frame Within a Frame 2025 are: Annika Väljataga (Estonia), Anssi Tiusanen (Finland), Gemma De Miguel Morell (Spain), Jolinna Ang (Singapore), Natalija Jekabsone (Latvia), Tanel Topaasia (Estonia), Vincent Eckert (Germany), and Vytenis Jankauskas (Lithuania).

In 2025, Frame Within a Frame presents two awards: the Frame Within a Frame LENS Award by ARRI, recognising the best cinematographer for outstanding artistic and technical achievement; and the Golden Ticket, presented with Team 4 Set, which grants a promising talent the chance to join a cinematography lab in Poland.

MUSIC MEETS FILM INTRODUCING PROGRAMME & EIGHT SELECTED PARTICIPANTS

The Music Meets Film returns with an exciting 2025 edition, merging the worlds of film, music, and interactive media. Eight emerging composers from across Europe have been selected to take part in workshops, lectures, and networking sessions from 19-21 November in Tallinn. The event will explore collaboration between composers and directors, sound design trends, and the role of music in narrative storytelling.

The selected participants are Anna Ljundberg (Sweden), Frida Feline Nilsen (Norway), Ilari Heinilä (Finland), Jakob Juhkam (Estonia), Katla Heimidottir (Iceland), Madis Kreevan (Estonia), Martin Nowacki (France), and Nicolò Braghiroli (UK).

The selected participants will have an opportunity to attend the masterclass by BAFTA-winning and Emmy-nominated composer Atli Örvarsson, moderated by Estonian composer and professor Ardo Ran Varres. The masterclass takes a close look at Örvarsson’s approach to scoring and the creative use of space in music. 
Additionally, the participants can attend the Director–Composer Lab: Composing the Cut, the central workshop of Music Meets Film. In collaboration with the Baltic Film, Media and Arts School, this workshop is led by Emmy-nominated composer Miriam Cutler, examinining the director–composer relationship through a lecture on collaboration and scoring practices. The workshop will conclude with a listening and feedback session at Orbital Vox Studios.

Check the full schedule and the details here.

Through festivals, concerts, education programmes, and cultural exchanges, Tallinn aims to support both established and emerging artists and to integrate music into public life. The initiative fosters collaboration between local institutions, communities, and international partners, enhancing Tallinn’s presence on the global music scene. Altogether, this status underscores Tallinn’s role as a creative hub where tradition and modernity converge in musical expression.
 

Innovation is vital, but it can’t come at the cost of ownership. Progress means giving technology direction, not permission to take.

At law firm TEGOS, we believe stories still belong to someone — and that protecting that truth is how art, and law, move forward together.
 

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