The annual convergence of international cinema in Estonia has reached a major milestone as the Black Nights Stars talent showcase officially announced the selection of ten rising actors for its milestone 2026 edition. Running from November 16 to 21 in the Estonian capital of Tallinn, the program operates as a key component of the Discovery Campus during the landmark 30th edition of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, widely recognized by its Estonian acronym PÖFF, through its Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event platform.
Celebrating its tenth year, the elite talent program has expanded its geographical footprint to encompass the broader Baltic Sea region and the Nordic countries. In a historic first for the initiative, applications were opened to actors based in Iceland and Norway, reflecting a strategic growth in its regional mandate. The call for submissions drew an overwhelming response, recording over 200 applications processed through the professional casting platform etalenta. According to festival organizers, the selected cohort represents a remarkably diverse cross-section of contemporary performance, with portfolios spanning film, television, and theater—ranging from Sámi-language dramas and distinct Baltic regional cinema to international streaming productions and celebrated independent features.
Evolution and Background of the Showcase
Established a decade ago to bridge the gap between regional talent and the global film market, Black Nights Stars has grown into one of Northern Europe’s most prestigious talent platforms. The initiative is designed to elevate early-to-mid-career actors who have demonstrated exceptional range and dedication within their home markets, offering them a structured pathway to international visibility.
Over the course of the six-day program in Tallinn, the chosen actors will engage directly with an influential network of international casting directors, talent agents, producers, and directors. The itinerary features targeted workshops, roundtables, and networking sessions tailored to refine their professional toolkits and foster cross-border collaborations. By placing these emerging artists in direct contact with industry decision-makers, the program aims to dismantle traditional geographic barriers that often hinder regional actors from breaking into global casting pools.
The selection process itself is a rigorous undertaking led by a distinguished international jury comprising prominent members of the International Casting Directors Association (ICDA) and established talent representatives. The 2026 jury featured Sweden’s Pauline Hansson, known for her work on Triangle of Sadness and The Square; Germany’s Nina Haun (Fatherland, Triangle of Sadness); Norway’s Yngvill Kolset Haga (Sentimental Value, The Worst Person in the World); Denmark’s Anders Nygaard (The Bridge, Shadow and Bone); and U.S.-based Lana Veenker (Grimm, It’s What’s Inside), who serves as the president of the International Casting Directors Association. They were joined by veteran talent agents Janey van Ierland from the Netherlands and Richard Cook from the United Kingdom.
In recognition of their selection, the ten participants will be honored with the Black Nights Stars Discovery Campus ICDA Award, signaling to the global industry that these individuals have been vetted by top-tier casting professionals.
Meet the 2026 Black Nights Stars Class
The ten selected actors represent a dynamic mix of established regional success and fresh international potential. Each brings a unique background and set of experiences to the 2026 showcase.
Joonas Koff (Estonia)
A familiar face in Estonian cinema, Joonas Koff began his career early, landing a leading role in the feature film The Fencer at just 13 years old. He has since appeared in Sisu 2: Road to Revenge and secured a role in Our Erika, Estonia’s international Oscar submission for 2027. Looking toward his time in Tallinn, Koff expresses a pragmatic yet enthusiastic outlook, noting his desire to connect with both familiar and contrasting artistic minds while engaging with the festival’s film lineup. On the stage front, Koff is currently in rehearsals for a new theater production directed by Ene-Liis Semper at Ekspeditsioon, describing the collaborative process as an exploration of the unknown.
Rūta Jonikaitė (Lithuania)
Rūta Jonikaitė transitioned to screen acting following her debut in the feature drama Night Screening, swiftly earning critical acclaim. In 2024, she received a nomination for Lithuania’s prestigious Golden Stage Cross Award for best young actress for her performance in Victor, or Power to the Children. Eager to absorb diverse perspectives in Tallinn, Jonikaitė is concurrently expanding her artistic horizons into cabaret, where she writes, choreographs, and performs her own material. Audiences can also see her in Danielius Minkevičius’ film Oblivion, which holds its premiere at this year’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.
Gunnbjörn Gunnarsson (Iceland)
Marking a historic milestone for the program, Gunnbjörn Gunnarsson becomes the first Icelandic actor ever selected for the Black Nights Stars initiative. Gunnarsson previously wrote, produced, and starred in the 2023 short film Showers, which earned a best narrative nomination at the Stockfish Film Festival. Entering the program with the attitude of a sponge ready to absorb industry knowledge, Gunnarsson is also preparing for the early 2027 release of the Icelandic short film Torpedo, in which he plays an aspiring mobster navigating the Reykjavík underworld—a role that required deep exploration into the contemporary societal complexities of youth violence.
Mina Dale (Norway)
With a robust resume spanning film, television, and drama, Mina Dale’s recent work includes the international cinematic journey The Cycle of Love, directed by Orlando von Einsiedel, in which she stars as the female lead, Young Lotta. Her television credits range from the family drama Fuckings Bygda and the vampire series Heirs of the Night to the political romance-drama Everything You Love and the second season of the Norwegian medical drama LIS, where she portrays an ambulance worker. Dale looks forward to forging international connections in Tallinn before immediately transitioning into her next secretive screen project.
Jarmo Reha (Estonia)
A product of Estonia’s vibrant MO movement of super-low-budget, unscripted filmmaking, theater-trained actor Jarmo Reha has cultivated a fruitful creative partnership with director Eeva Mägi. Following appearances in Mo Hunt and Mo Papa—the latter of which earned him the best actor award at the 2026 Estonian Film and TV Awards—Reha stars in Mo Amor, which premieres at PÖFF within the Critics’ Picks program. For Reha, the Tallinn showcase represents a crucial conduit for forging face-to-face relationships with international professionals to help demystify the process of breaking into the broader European film market.
Hubert Miłkowski (Poland)
Hubert Miłkowski is already well-known to international audiences through his appearances in Netflix’s crime series The Woods, HBO’s Women’s Hell, and feature films such as Operation Hyacinth, Braty, and Norwegian Dream, the latter of which earned him the best actor prize at the Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival. Miłkowski’s upcoming slate includes a starring role in the feature Exotic, premiering in the First Feature Competition at PÖFF, alongside two major 2027 releases where he portrays an alpinist and a fighter pilot, respectively.
Kathy Etoa (Switzerland / Germany)
Cameroon-born and Berlin-based, Swiss actress Kathy Etoa has built a steady career across German-language television and international streaming platforms, with credits including WaPo Berlin, Supermad, and Netflix’s 23,000 Lives, where she currently stars as Rose. Etoa approaches her career trajectory as an ongoing journey, viewing her participation in Tallinn as an opportunity to pack her professional backpack with shared insights, international connections, and inspiration. Her upcoming projects include the ARD German television drama Wo die Stille tötet – Mord in der Wüste and a theatrical production of Drei Geister oder: Der Fall Schwerte at Theater Aachen, which explores historical responsibility and human complicity in unjust political systems.
Samuel Kujala (Finland)
Finnish actor Samuel Kujala gained widespread international attention following the screening of the music dramedy A Light That Never Goes Out at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival’s ACID section, a role that subsequently earned him the Jussi Award for best leading role. Having built a diverse television and film CV with projects like Nerd: DragonSlayer666, Dance Brothers, and Port Poison, Kujala views the Tallinn initiative as a unique laboratory to examine how national assumptions about acting shape performance cultures. He will next be seen in the Nordic crime thriller series Dead Women Talking, inspired by the true-crime podcast phenomenon.
Estrid Gustafsson-Fjellheim (Sweden / Norway)
A bilingual Sámi actress working across Sweden and Norway, Estrid Gustafsson-Fjellheim achieved early screen success before starring in the post-apocalyptic feature Fungus and the International Emmy-nominated Sápmi-language series Oro jaska – Shut Up. Currently juggling multiple Scandinavian television and film projects, Gustafsson-Fjellheim also holds a major role in the upcoming Sápmi-set drama Porslin, alongside stage work with the Giron Sámi Teáhter. She emphasizes the importance of building a supportive peer network through Black Nights Stars to combat the inherent isolation sometimes felt by young international performers.
Eduards Johansons (Latvia)
Latvian actor Eduards Johansons brings extensive experience across both classical theater and screen production. His eclectic film credits range from the mystery drama Despair and the surrealist thriller The Year Before the War—in which he memorably portrayed Joseph Stalin—to the coming-of-age dramedy Flesh, Blood, Even a Heart. Looking ahead to the upcoming theater season, Johansons is set to tackle prominent roles in Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Arthur Miller’s A View From the Bridge, alongside a forthcoming streaming miniseries for the Latvian market.
Broader Implications and Industry Impact
The inclusion of Iceland and Norway for the 20th anniversary edition of the Black Nights Stars program underscores a wider industry trend toward pan-Nordic and Baltic integration. As European financing models increasingly rely on cross-border co-productions, platforms that cross linguistic and national boundaries are vital for nurturing talent that can easily transition between domestic arthouse cinema and large-scale international streaming content.
By providing a structured environment where emerging professionals can interact directly with decision-makers of the caliber represented by the ICDA jury, the festival reinforces Tallinn’s position as a premier hub for industry networking in Northern Europe. The long-term implications of these selections often manifest years down the line, as early encounters in Tallinn frequently blossom into international casting opportunities, co-productions, and global career longevity for the region’s top creative minds.
