NEWS Kalev & Sierra

Kalev Competes forOSCAR

Ove Musting’s debut feature Kalev was selected as the country’s submission for the title of Best International Feature Film at the 2023 Academy Awards.

By EFI

With each passing year it becomes harder and harder to pick just one film to represent Estonia,” admitted Edith Sepp, head of the Estonian Film Institute. “This year was no different!” An independent jury selected this year’s submission from among 11 candidates, which included documentaries in addition to live action films.

Kalev is the story of the stressful journey of a legendary Estonian basketball team to the final championships held in the sport in the collapsing Soviet Union. With many of their fellow countrymen opposed to them taking part, and pitted against merciless opponents, the team faces turbulent times on and off the court. The film was inspired by actual events that took place in 1991, when the Estonian team won the last ever Soviet basketball trophy.

The jury also felt that in revisiting the basketball team’s 1991 triumph the director was examining themes that are just as pertinent today: a country’s right to self-determination; opposition to an imperialistic world view; and sport as a universal concept that transcends political power struggles. Another of Kalev’s strengths is that as a team production it also examines how a group comes together and the roles that individuals play therein.

The film was directed by Ove Musting, shot by Rein Kotov, designed by Tiiu-Ann Pello, music composed by Mihkel Zilmer, and produced by Pille Rünk and Maria Avdjuško. It is an Allfilm and Ugri Film co-production distributed by Hea Film.

AND NOW... RACING Also submitted for an Oscar from Estonia is Sander Joon’s short animated film Sierra. At the heart of the story is a young boy who turns into a tyre during a rallydriving competition. Beneath the superficial absurdity of the narrative lies a personal story inspired by the film-maker’s relationship with his father. Sierra will be vying for the title of Best Animated Short Film thanks to its wins at a number of film festivals, including San Francisco and Palm Springs ShortFest. Sierra was written, designed and directed by Sander Joon and produced by Aurelia Aasa (AAA Creative) and Erik Heinsalu (BOP! Animation). EF