TALENT
Eugen Scissors in Hand Eugen Tamberg is a highly professional and well-renowned costume designer, active in both film and theatre, in Estonia and internationally. Accolades confirm that: he won the Finnish national film award Jussi and the Estonian national film award EFTA in one week. By Maria Ulfsak Photos by Viktor Koshkin
nd as Black Nights Film Festival in Tallinn is giving out the best production design award for the first time this year, Tamberg has the honour of being in the jury on the festival’s Anniversary this November. First, congratulations again on your two big awards. Let’s first talk about the films which led to them. Two period pieces, the
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ESTONIAN FILM
very specific biographical Tove, directed by one of Finland’s top directors, Zaida Bergroth; and Peeter Simm’s On the Water – a period film about a little Estonian village in the 1980s with a lot of ruckus and boozing. Please describe the creative process behind both films, and the co-operation with the directors and the team.
The making of On the Water started much earlier than Tove, as we had to chronicle the passing of time, both in nature and in the de-
velopment of the young characters. The youngsters grew up in front of our team’s eyes! Estonian nature, with its four seasons, offers a visual narrative in addition to a dramaturgical one. So, the right location for the exteriors (and there were many) was crucial. We found an ideal spot in Võõpsu – a former trade village on the coast of Lake Peipus, in North-East Estonia. I still had my own memories of the Eighties. This location sparked the creative energy of Peeter Simm, infecting the actors too, and
