archival materials in film
Architect Raine Karp has designed some of the most monumental buildings in Estonia. Yet he himself says that he does not shape cityscapes or create art — he simply solves problems. This film takes the viewer on a journey into Raine’s world of ideas and his creative process.
A middle-aged boyband’s journey to the top of the world. With Talharpas.
In the autumn of 1944, 16-year-old Elmar Suurpere from Saaremaa is drafted into the German anti-aircraft forces. His journey takes him from the Courland Pocket across the sea to Sweden, then — extradited — to a Soviet prison camp, and half a century later back to Sweden, where an act of asking for forgiveness finally brings long-awaited inner freedom.
On the border between Estonia and Russia, a rusting Soviet tank becomes the center of a surreal battle for identity, proving that the memory of power is stronger than steel.
Overcoming her brutal childhood, a young woman becomes an Olympic gold medalist and the 'light of the nation'. Per aspera ad astra! The story is inspired by the life of the track bicycle racer Erika Salumäe
The short documentary offers a glimpse into the world of the Estonian sex work industry, in which the navigating characters unravel the interconnected dynamics of money, loneliness, and sex, and their impact on the journeys of self-discovery and growth of young people.
An intimate and cinematic journey into the life and music of Hendrik Sal-Saller, one of Estonia’s most beloved musicians, whose work has shaped the collective memory of a nation.
The battle of the mines at Juminda was one of the deadliest naval battles in history. Over 50 ships and some 15,000 lives were lost in the Gulf of Finland within a few hours in August 1941.
'My father rests in peace, but he always said that winning is the most important thing.'
How can we talk about life’s hardest truths and still hold on to not just the will to live—but the joy of it?
Documentary explores the war in Ukraine through frontline civilians and everyday Ukrainians. Filmmaker and reserve officer Ilmar Raag volunteers to deliver aid deep into Ukraine’s warzones. The people he meets are different, but they all fight for Ukraine.
How to survive parenthood, when you have a lot to juggle?
A political story of Belarusian women under the lead of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya fighting the dictatorship turns into a personal story of the director overcoming her own fear.
New Estonian punk is boiling over!
A group of Russian-Estonians navigates the delicate balance between cultural identity and integration, exploring the sacrifices and adaptations required to find acceptance while remaining true to themselves.
The punk band Velikije Luki stands up to Soviet power and defies hardships, until, with fortunate accidents and drunken bravado, it triggers the collapse of the Red Empire.
After fighting in a dangerous war, Aleksandr discovers that it is even harder to make it in the civilian sector than on the battlefield.
In the film we follow Jaan Malin on his journey towards the poetry slam and the "Crazy Tartu" festival. The curation of the festival and the practice of sound poetry introduce Estonian surrealism and Luulur's expressive work, which invites us to ask whether art must have a clear meaning.
This job is full of shit, but somebody has to do it!
The series open the viewer to the current state of Estonian forests and shows how political decisions have affected the use of the common property. The series also offers solutions to move out of the deadlock of the debate and directs attention to the information that has been buried under the messages of controlled communication in the information noise of the forest war.
The series open the viewer to the current state of Estonian forests and shows how political decisions have affected the use of the common property. The series also offers solutions to move out of the deadlock of the debate and directs attention to the information that has been buried under the messages of controlled communication in the information noise of the forest war.
Stand-up comedy seems like an easy thing to do - you get on stage, tell funny stories for an hour and also swear a little. Sander Õigus has been doing stand-up for over ten years, let's see how the truth becomes the truth and a joke becomes a joke.
1942 in Helsinki. The state of Finland has made an alliance with Nazi Germany. One man alone is trying to stop the Finnish security services which were operating in secrecy, to turn over Jewish refugees into the hands of Gestapo.
The story of Estoniaäs skateboarding scene spanning five decades, from the 1980s and tables made with vclay wheels in Võru to today's youth, for whom the whole world is open.
Kārlis Lesiņš becomes a ‘citizen-investigator’ going on the road to find out why the construction of the EU funded and NATO backed 870 kilometers long high-speed railway line connecting the Baltic States to Europe is significantly behind the schedule, over the budget and at risk of stalling.
Where have the Estonian forests gone?
As a student, the protagonist watches Emir Kusturica’s film “Black cat, white cat”, about the wacky life of the Balkans, and suddenly realizes that he has already seen all this in his childhood in Võrumaa. The short documentary was completed as part of Arts of Survival Documentaries programme within the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024 project.
About being human and remaining human even in the most hopeless moment. The short documentary was completed as part of Arts of Survival Documentaries programme within the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024 project.
From a small-town garage to become country's top architect!
Documentary follows President Toomas Hendrik Ilves in the last year and a half of his term in office - as he grapples with the complexities of world politics and his private life.
A story about the relationship between independent Soviet art and the West.
Several Estonians rally crews raced in the USSR team in the 80s. Every driver's dream was to make it to the team because it was the door behind the Iron Curtain. The rally legends have many untold stories about life as top rally drivers in the absurd Soviet system and on the world's rally stages.
Sometimes you need to be reborn to understand that death is not the end of life. A film about the love of a mother and her children - nothing can separate them, not even death.
The documentary film made for the 100th birthday of the Estonian Equestrian Federation
A captivating historical documentary with plenty of animation about the destiny of a popular Estonian caricaturist Gori (1894 - 1944) between the two World Wars when total powers leave less and less choices to the talented artist.
When this documentary reached the editing table, the British newspaper The Guardian, which reaches thirty million readers, featured an article by renowned chess writer Leonard Barden, “Pride of Estonia: Paul Keres, one of the best to never hold chess world crown”.
A film about an embassy of bygone times - a clothes menders in Nõmme which remains in business despite an onslaught of fast fashion.
A film about the Estonians’ favorite folk band Kukerpillid and its spirited journey through the summer concert venues of Estonia, with interludes to the roots of Estonian folkmusic.
The documentary portrays the acclaimed Song Festival conductor and music teacher Lydia Rahula.
The film is about a strong Estonian woman who can handle everything and has experienced both traditional family life and much more.
A portrait film about Marju Länik, one of the best singers in the history of Estonian pop music.