DOCS
A Story about Roosi Margit Lillak
Becoming Roosi by Margit Lillak received a Radio Télévision Suisse award at Visions du Réel VdR–Industry pitch. Following up from The Circle (2019), director Margit Lillak follows the teenage girl Roosi, who grew up in an eco-commune as the daughter of an activist. By Filipp Kruusvall Photos by Virge Viertek and from Roosi’s private collection
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he protagonist of the filmstruggles to cope with climate grief and guilt, torn between becoming an activist herself and finding her own life path through creativity. Lillak and Karolina Veetamm are producing for Tiny Desk Productions, and the film is expected to be released in November 2024. Margit, how did the Becoming Roosi project start, and where did you meet the main character of your film?
I met the protagonist Roosi in 2014, so already 8 years ago, when I was shooting my last feature-length documentary, The Circle. She was 8 then, and her mother was the frontwoman of the newly founded eco-village.
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ESTONIAN FILM
Roosi was taken to the commune against her will. She rebelled against the free-flow hippy lifestyle and education throughout the 5 years she stayed there. From the first moment she walked into my sight, I knew that there was something extraordinary about this child, the striking way she expressed her truth, and saw things from a very clear perspective. I never really related to her as a child, but more as an equal, a charismatic personality. We established a friendship over the 5 years of shooting in the eco-village. After that, we saw less of each other, but as I am friends with her parents, we ended up hanging out more. Just last autumn, when I was visiting them, I almost accidentally filmed a scene with Roosi - she
