Eminent Bangladeshi film director Mostafa Sarwar Farooki and film scholar-academician Zakir Hossain Raju became Jury members at the 24th edition of Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF), set to take place from November 13 to November 29 in Estonia.

Farooki became one of the Jury members alongside four of his co-jurors in the Official Competition section: British film festival consultant and writer-reviewer Mark Adams (United Kingdom), producer and member of the European Film Academy Izabela Kiszka-Hoflik (Poland), theatre and film actress Ester Kuntu (Estonia) and renowned Director of Photography with double Oscar nominations for "L.A. Confidential" and "The Insider" and BAFTA nominee, Dante Spinotti (Italy). Meanwhile, Raju, the first Bangladeshi researcher to obtain a doctorate in film sciences (Melbourne 2004) who taught at La Trobe and Monash Universities in Australia, Dhaka University and Monash University in Malaysia - joined his co-jurors in the NETPAC (Asian Film Promotion Network) section with freelance Journalist and film curator Andreas Ungerboeck (Austria) and two-time NETPAC award winner, one of Singapore's most prolific filmmakers Kan Lume (Singapore).

"This is one festival I have always wanted to be in. Heard many great things about this festival from friends! So when the offer came to be on their Official Competition Jury, I didn't take much time to say "yes"!," Farooki shared his excitement on joining the Jury board via a Facebook post from his verified profile. Expressing his gratitude, he added, "Thank you PÖFF | Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival for having me! Looking forward to watch the films and work with my co-jurors!"

Started in 1997, the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival has grown into one of the biggest film festivals in Northern Europe and busiest regional industry platforms, hosting more than 1000 guests and industry delegates and over 160 journalists. The festival screens around 250 features and more than 300 shorts and animations, joined by 80 000 people on average annually. As of 2014, the festival holds the FIAPF accreditation for holding an international competition programme which puts the festival into the A-category of film festivals, alongside other 14 festivals in the world.