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Dr Terje Toomistu is a documentary film-maker and an anthropologist, a Research Fellow at the University of Tartu’s Department of Ethnology, whose prime areas of focus are gender, mobility, and affect. She received her PhD degree in Ethnology as well as two MA degrees (cum laude) in Ethnology and in Communication Studies from the University of Tartu. She has been a Fulbright Fellow at the University of California Berkeley and a visiting researcher at the University of Amsterdam, Department of Anthropology. She has also lived and studied in France, Russia, and Indonesia.
Toomistu’s major research projects cover Indonesian gender and sexuality and the late Soviet non-conformist youth. She has curated exhibitions in the U.K., Germany, Canada, and Sweden, and given lectures and seminars at universities internationally. With a filmography including „Veins of the Amazon“ (2021, co-directed with Alvaro Sarmiento and Diego Sarmiento), an award-winning „Soviet Hippies“ (2017) and „Wariazone“ (2011, co-directed with Kiwa), her work as a documentary film-maker has been featured widely in international press, including The Guardian and The Economist.
Vallo Toomla (1983) is a young promising talent in Estonian cinema. He has studied theology in Tartu University and film directing at Baltic Film and Media School. He has been in versatile roles in front and behind the camera but is best known as a director. Vallo has directed five short films and a puppet animated film in one of the most recognized puppet animation companies in Europe – Nukufilm. His student films have all been aired by Estonian Public Broadcasting and his short film “Devil’s Vaudeville” was in domestic cinema distribution. Already his first student work “Morbius “ was selected to International Student Festival “Sleepwalkers” at BNFF and won the Best Estonian Short Film award.
His debut feature “Pretenders” was premiered in 64th San Sebastian IFF in September 2016.
Film director, producer and journalist Jaan Tootsen was born on October 14, 1975. From 1994-1995, he studied at The Estonian Institute of Humanities, and from 1995-2000, at Tallinn University, which he graduated in radio production. Since 2000, he has been working at the Estonian Public Broadcasting. In 2012-2016, he worked as Cultural Advisor to the President of Estonia.