Since 2018, PÖFF Shorts has been working with artists around Estonia to give the festival a visual identity.

The 2021 PÖFF Shorts festival identity is authored by Sillamäe-born and Tallinn-based artist Darja Popolitova best known for her jewelry. Her work has travelled to New York, Oslo, Barcelona and elsewhere, with her creations also being collected by museums.

What’s the story behind the wolf?
The starting point was the 25th anniversary of PÖFF. In my work, I like to use elements from the Internet, so I added icons evoking Facebook — reminder buttons for the coming birthday.

In wedding symbolism, 25 signifies the material of silver. It is an interesting coincidence, because I use this material also in my jewellery art. That's why the wolf's texture is silver. I also distorted the original PÖFF wolf by changing the lens. The face looks like the wolf took a selfie, with a proportionally large nose. Who wouldn't take a selfie on their birthday? So the image is a hybrid of different ideas from my own artistic influences as well as the festival's birthday.

What's the longest films you've watched?
“Gone with the Wind”, it was a bit of a torture, because it was so long and I really wanted to sleep. Now I'm thinking I probably enjoy art which is fast and sharp, like a meme.

Do you have a favourite short film or animation?
In my PhD studies in the Estonian Academy of Art I am researching haptic visuality, which means the audiovisual images' possibility evoke sensory feelings in the viewers. There is a lot of that in Jan Švankmajer's surreal animation. I have studied his work and his films bring me enjoyment.

What are you looking for at this year festival?
Something short, tactile and sharp, with contemporary sarcasm.

Follow Darja Popolitova's work in Instagram!