Marianna Kaat on One Truth in Russia

Hendrik Mägar

The Master of Good Interruptions

In April, the Estonian Film Institute (EFI) had a major change on the commissioner level. The long serving head of production Piret Tibbo-Hudgins moved on, and so did the documentary expert Filipp Kruusvall. I would like to express my immense gratitude to the enormous work Piret has done for Estonian film over the last ten years – the impact of her creative input and absolute dedication will be felt on Estonian film productions for years to come. Filipp has helped to make Estonian documentaries more visible on the international market and our documentaries now shine brighter than ever. The good news is that they both will stay connected with the film industry.

The new experts at EFI are Maria Ulfsak who will start as the feature film commissioner, and Viola Salu who will work with development support and production support for documentaries. Viola will also act as the head of film production. You can read more about our new commissioners on pages 6 and 10.

Speaking of documentaries, in the present issue we introduce many of them, and start with a very experienced documentary filmmaker Marianna Kaat, who has been shooting films about Russia for many years. Her recent film The Last Relic has its world premiere in the International Spectrum Competition at the Hot Docs festival in Toronto. The film is a stark look at the absurdity of life in Russia, where some people dream of restoring the glory of the imperial state.

Liis Nimik’s film Sundial was selected for the International Mid-Length Competition, and also for The Changing Faces of Europe programme at Hot Docs. The film raises the question of whether and how a person should learn to live in harmony with nature.

Last but not least, Hot Docs screens already internationally acclaimed documentary Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, which won the Best Directing Award for Anna Hints in the World Cinema Documentary section at Sundance. Hints holds the flag for Estonian documentaries very high and tells an intimate story about women who come together in the protective darkness of a smoke sauna and share their deepest secrets. Estonian documentaries are at their peak, and their visibility is created by the women who provide very diverse perceptions of Estonian culture.

Also the Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) will be present in Cannes with the programme PÖFF Goes to Cannes. Don’t miss out on what is cooking at this year’s Black Nights in November.

Stay tuned to Estonian films!

Edith Sepp, CEO of Estonian Film Institute