Just Film Industry Days returns for its fourth edition from 18 to 20 November, built on one idea: Young audiences should take part in film culture, not only be marketed to.
This year's programme puts the spotlight on the quality of films made for children and young people, the upcoming films for young audiences, film education and film literacy. Over three days, film industry professionals and educators will come together at the Just Film Industry Days part of Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event and the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, to look at how films for young audiences are made, labelled, discovered and taught. Film literacy gives young people the tools to watch critically and find European films beyond the algorithm, co-creation brings their voices into how films are made and released, where training gives the next generation of filmmakers practical skills whilst providing contact with industry professionals.
Two pitching sessions
Two pitching sessions connect children's and youth projects with the partners who can take them further. At the Co-Production Market, once again, we also present children’s and youth film projects in development and pre-production that compete for the €20,000 Eurimages Co-Production Development Award. At Just Film Works in Progress, five films in the final stages of production meet sales agents, distributors, festivals and post-production partners. Both sessions include 1:1 meetings with potential partners.
Talks, panels and networking
The talks programme approaches young audiences from several angles: research, education, marketing and the changing ways young people find films.
Why Should You Care About Audiovisual Literacy? Radka Hoffman, Head of Industry & International Relations at the Prague-based cultural association KRUTÓN, opens the talks programme with AC LAB, the European project which KRUTÓN leads. Young people watch audiovisual content every day, but many lack the tools to read film language and discover European cinema beyond global platforms and algorithms. AC LAB works with 15–19-year-olds to change that. The presentation is followed by a discussion with Veerle Snijders, Head of the Dutch Film Education Network at Eye Filmmuseum, moderated by Alasdair Satchel.
The session will take place on 19 November 10:00 in Nordic Hotel Forum, Arcturus.
Film Education in the Baltics. In a closed round-table discussion, film education organisations from the Baltic countries and their European partners will compare their support systems and practices. They will ask what success in film education looks like and how it can be measured. The session ends by looking for common ground that could lead to shared practice and new joint initiatives.
Research Meets Market: The Visual Language of Children's Films. Certain visual elements return again and again in children's films, rarely by chance. Anthropologist Rikke Flodin (PUBLIKUM / Will & Agency) presents years of research with children as an audience, while Rebecca Hartung (Pluto Film) presents the festival and sales view. Together they discuss which visual choices connect with young viewers, and whether they are the same that helps a film travel.
The session will take place on 19 November 15:30 in Nordic Hotel Forum, Arcturus.
Reaching Young Audiences Through Co-Creation. Young audiences split their attention between cinema, streaming, gaming and social media. In a masterclass presented with KIDS Regio, Nora Lakos shares practical ways to involve children and young people at every stage, from script development and shooting to distribution and marketing. The focus is on listening to them as creative partners, not just a test audience, whilst staying within the field of the filmmaker's own artistic vision.
The session will take place on 20 November 10:30 in Nordic Hotel Forum, Vega.
The New Underground: Film Discovery in the Age of Social Media Restriction. Australia's under-16 social media ban is in place, the UK's is due in 2027, and Europe is debating similar measures. For today's teenagers, short videos and memes do the job trailers once did. In a discussion hosted by Alasdair Satchel, Fergus Navaratnam-Blair (National Research Group) asks what will happen to film discovery when the feed is cut, and whether cinemas, live events and partnerships can fill the gap.
The session will take place on 20 November 11:45 in Nordic Hotel Forum, Arcturus.
The Label Decides: Family, Youth or Coming-of-Age? What happens when a film reaches an audience it was never meant for? Film critic and programmer Veronica Orciari and Nils Andersson of Smorgasbord Picture House discuss who decides a film's label, what mislabelling can cost, and how filmmakers can describe their films so that the right audience finds them. They also ask whether "coming of age" has become an overused category.
The session will take place on 20 November 13:45 in Nordic Hotel Forum, Arcturus.
Raising Literacy Attainment Through Film. In an online training session for Estonian school teachers, Alasdair Satchel and Kirsty Gallacher from Into Film, the UK's leading film education charity, will show how film can build young people's literacy skills. Six simple words (Camera, Colour, Character, Sound, Setting, Story) break the language of film into manageable pieces that students can work with in the classroom.
The session will take place on 17 November 17:00 online.
Fckup Night with KIDS Regio. The networking evening returns for its third edition, hosted by Marieanne Weisshuhn and Elisabeth Wenk from KIDS Regio. Guests are invited on stage to share the comical bumps and oddities of their careers. Expect laughs, a few tears and many glasses raised in solidarity.
The event will take place on 19 November 21:00 in Maison Dio.
In the days leading up to Industry Days, students from the Baltic Film, Media and Arts School will work with the Prague-based sound post-production company Studio BEEP from 14 to 16 November, developing their own approach to foley and other sound skills.
In partnership with Black Nights Discovery Campus, Just Film will bring together two acclaimed cinematographers and its own #youngfilmmakers, Estonian and international school students aged 12 to 19, for a series of mentoring encounters. The young filmmakers' work will be screened at the festival on 14 and 15 November. This is the first time #youngfilmmakers and Discovery Campus mentors have been brought together, and Just Film hopes to develop the collaboration further in the coming years.
This year's Discovery Campus mentors are Roberto Schaefer ASC, AIC, the American cinematographer behind Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland and Quantum of Solace, and Rauno Ronkainen FSC, the Finnish cinematographer of The Eternal Road, Helene and Stormskerry Maja. Both are mentoring emerging film professionals at Discovery Campus, where participants can build their skills, add to their studies and take the next steps in their careers.
Young people watching films today will become tomorrow's audiences, critics and filmmakers. Just Film Industry Days 2026 asks how the industry can work with them now.