'The Good Daughter' Courtesy of PÖFF Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment The Good Daughter, Júlia de Paz Solvas' drama exploring family conflicts through the eyes of a teenage girl, won the top award in the main competition of the 29th edition of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) in Estonia. In addition to the Grand Prix, it also received the fest's Audience Award. The best director honor went to Turkish director Ali Vatansever for LifeLike, a meditation on mortality and the human desire for transcendence that was partly shot in VRChat. In the performance categories of the main competition, Aladdin Detlefsen and Kanji Tsuda shared the best actor award for their roles as two men who make an unexpected connection in In the Aisles director Thomas Stuber's The Frog and the Water. And the best actress honor went to Kiara Arancibia for her lead role in The Good Daughter. Related Stories Movies Spencer Lofranco, 'Gotti' and 'Unbroken' Actor, Dies at 33 Music Ado, Atarashii Gakko!, Hana and Yuki Chiba Among Artists Performing at L.A. Japanese Music Showcase Zipangu The jury consisted of Teona Strugar Mitevska, Debra McGuire, Nomuunzul Turmunkh, Ingo Fliess, and Roberto Schaefer. It called The Good Daughter "a powerful and emotionally grounded drama that explores family conflict through the eyes of a teenage girl. The film handles difficult themes with remarkable sensitivity, allowing the story to feel both intimate and authentic. Its greatest strength lies in the depth and honesty of the central performance, which brings quiet intensity and vulnerability to the character's journey. Experiencing the narrative through her perspective adds a raw emotional truth, making the audience feel the confusion, loyalty, and fear she endures." It added: "The cinematography and editing are subtle and restrained, supporting the story without overshadowing it. This minimalistic approach keeps the focus firmly on the emotional lives of the characters." In PÖFF's First Feature Competition, Hercules Falling by director Christian Bonke and starring Game of Thrones and Borgen actor Dar Salim as a former soldier struggling with PTSD, won the best film award. Samuel Abrahams was named best director for Lady, a mockumentary about an aristocrat's struggle to be seen in the social media age. Meanwhile, Jurgis Matulevičius' China Sea, about a broken and canceled former MMA champion who is trying to pick up the pieces of his life, won the best film award in PÖFF's Critics' Picks Competition. Matías Szulanski was named best director for his A Summer Tale, a drama about the "societal and economic rot" in Argentina that leaves the audience breathless, as the jury put it. The Baronesses, from directors Nabil Ben Yadir and Mokhtaria Badaoui, won the best film award in PÖFF's Rebels With a Cause section. The movie tells the story of four grandmothers who decide to perform Hamlet. Rógan Graham received the best director honor for his melancholic road movie Blindsight. And in the Baltic Film Competition, Vytautas Katkus' The Visitor, a meditation on solitude; took home the best film award, while Gabriele Urbonaite won the best director trophy for her feature directorial debut Renovation, about a woman turning 30 who faces cracks in the wall and her life. Finally, in the documentary sections, in the Baltic competition, director Aistė Žegulytė picked up the best film honor, her second award in as many days for Holy Destructors, which dives into the cosmos of blooming microfungi and had on Thursday evening won an honor at IDFA in Amsterdam. And a cinematic journey into the hidden world of a reclusive Finnish artist, Days of Wonder by Karin Pennanen, was honored as the best international documentary at Tallinn. Tiina Lokk, festival director and program director at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF), courtesy of PÖFF Also in Tallinn on Friday night, Austrian auteur Jessica Hausner received an honorary award, and Estonian director and children's writer Janno Põldma was awarded a lifetime achievement honor. Check out the full Tallinn 2025 winners below. Official Selection CompetitionBest Production DesignChris Richmond, David Hand, Think of England Best Original ScoreErdem Helvacıoğlu, LifeLike Best ScriptStåle Stein Berg No Comment Best CinematographerYutaka Yamazaki, The Imaginary Dog and the Lying Cat Best ActorAladdin Detlefsen, Kanji Tsuda, The Frog and the Water Best ActressKiara Arancibia, The Good Daughter Best DirectorAli Vatansever LifeLike (Türkiye, Greece, Romania) Grand PrixThe Good Daughter, director Júlia de Paz Solvas (Spain) First Feature CompetitionJury Special Prize Easy Girl, director Hille Norden (Germany)Jury Special Prize - Best editing Jan Van Der Weken, Sunday Ninth, director Kat Steppe (Belgium)Best Director Samuel Abra