For over two decades, Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event has brought together film professionals from around the world, fostering collaboration, creativity, and connection. In recent years, the focus has increasingly shifted toward supporting the next generation of filmmakers, with dedicated initiatives and events designed to help emerging talent thrive.

In 2025, we’ll host over 80 up-and-coming professionals, offering them the chance to join masterclasses and workshops led by renowned mentors, and to build meaningful relationships within the international film community.

Among the programmes nurturing future generations in the industry is the Tallinn Industry Academy – an intensive five-day closed training programme for young professionals in independent film circulation. Originally established by the Locarno Film Festival, the programme expanded to Tallinn a year ago. The course delves into key areas such as traditional and digital distribution, sales, marketing, exhibition, promotion, and festival programming. Through a mix of lectures, panel talks, and hands-on exercises, participants gain both practical knowledge and lasting industry connections to boost their professional growth.

The participants selected for the Tallinn Industry Academy 2025 edition include: Angel Lama (France), Anna Falivene (Italy), Daniel Sundvik (Finland), Dylan Beck (United Kingdom), Eleni Oulani (Germany), Johannes Lõhmus (Estonia), Joseph Andreyev (United Kingdom), Marta Batista (Portugal), Sara Löfgren König (Sweden), Téo Jacquemin (France), Ulviyya Ahmadova (Azerbaijan) and Zhana Mendel (Bulgaria).

Another lab for emerging professionals is "Breaking Into the Industry: Mentorship Programme for Aspiring Producers", a one-of-a-kind initiative created especially for Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event.

This year the lab welcomes 16 young producers across Europe to wintery Tallinn, including Gizay Akdogan (Turkey), Aleksandra Aleksander (Poland), Emīls Alps (Latvia), Ula Beatričė Batisaitė (Lithuania), Katrine Eichberger (Germany), Luciano Ivanov (Bulgaria), Kalina Ivanova (Bulgaria), Eugenia Kamozinova (Slovakia), Oleksandr Krasenkov (Ukraine), Inna Lastochkina (Ukraine), Chris Kwun Shing Lau (United Kingdom), Lennart Mathias Männik (Estonia), Hadi Nikzad(Finland), Poppy O'Hagan (United Kingdom), Veronika Stepanchuk (Ukraine) and Reinis Ubelis (Latvia).

Led by Katriel Schory, an experienced film professional with more than four decades in the international industry, the “Breaking Into the Industry…” programme provides practical guidance for emerging producers. Throughout the closed sessions, Katriel will help participants refine their project pitches for different types of funders and share valuable perspectives on nurturing strong producer-director partnerships, shaping film concepts, and defining both personal and company-level strategies for growth.

The programme features a mix of plenary discussions, individual mentoring, and interactive industry events, offering a comprehensive look at what it takes to be a creative producer — from identifying powerful stories and navigating the development phase to enhancing leadership and communication skills. During the five-day training, participants will also gain access to other Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event sessions, film screenings, networking opportunities, and more.

Alongside the two programmes mentioned above, the second edition of AI Atelier welcomes a select group of enthusiasts to explore the rapidly evolving world of generative AI and its impact on the creative and content industries. The selected participants include: Luciana Druzina (Brazil), Ingrid Eloranta (Estonia), Tero Peltoniemi (Finland), Katre Valgma (Estonia) and Christoffer Weiss (Finland).

The 11th edition of the European Genre Forum, concluding with its final lab in Tallinn, continues to strengthen the careers of emerging European voices in genre filmmaking.

Meanwhile, the Discovery Campus educational programme brings together 40 rising talents – including directors, screenwriters, actors, cinematographers, composers, and art department professionals – for a rich selection of masterclasses, lectures, and workshops.

Several of the events are also open to the public (with accreditation or a day ticket) – see the schedule for details.