Optimism, Can-Do Spirit Fires Up Black Nights Film Festival’s Industry Program

variety.com:

John Bleasdale Guest Contributor “Being from a small country is not an obstacle but a plus because you have a story no one has heard of,” Lithuanian actor and showrunner Gabija Siurbyte (“Troll Farm”) told the TV Beats panel during this week’s Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event, hosted by the Black Nights Film Festival.

It was the kind of optimism and can-do spirit that characterized the industry forum, which comprised an impressive range of industry panels, workshops and pitching sessions, as well as including a few innovations of its own.

Having shifted the schedule of the festival a week earlier – thereby avoiding Thanksgiving weekend – it has managed to attract a number of important industry figures, including producer Gale Anne Hurd (“The Terminator,” “The Walking Dead”), who gave two talks and offered inspiration from her career as well as answering questions about the role of AI and the end of the recent strikes, siding firmly with the unions and berating the execs as worse monsters as the Queen in “Aliens.” Other guests included former Paramount exec Ari Tan, who spoke about the importance of adopting a clear strategy mindful of the endgame of distribution and profitability.

A particular emphasis was placed throughout on education and training with events taking place under the umbrella of the Discovery Campus, offering aspirant workers in film – from screenwriters to producers, cinematographers to musicians – practical advice and inspiration from the cutting edge of the industry.