Scottish Leader Estonian Feature Film Competition

DEBORA VAARANDI AEG / ESTONIAN HISTORY - THE POET AND HER TIME
DIRIGENDI KÕLA / SOUND OF A CONDUCTOR
GEORG
JAN UUSPÕLD LÄHEB TARTUSSE / 186 KILOMETRES
JONATHAN AUSTRAALIAST / JONATHAN FROM AUSTRALIA
KLASS / THE CLASS
KUHU PÕGENEVAD HINGED / WHERE SOULS GO
NUGA / THE KNIFE
PÕDRA KUNINGRIIK / ELK’S KINGDOM
SÜGISBALL / AUTUMN BALL
TERVITUSI NÕUKOGUDE EESTIST! / GREETINGS FROM SOVIET ESTONIA!
VASTUTUULESAAL / HEADWIND HALL

Records and explosions
These are good times for Estonian film. The difficulties of the early 1990s – when in some years not a single feature film was produced – seem to be a distant memory. The Estonian economy is thriving, and this year a whopping eight full-length features were produced with the support of the Estonian Film Foundation. But the EFF is not the only source of funding for film production. The total number of films produced last year was closer to ten.
Estonian film is streaking across the international night skies. Cannes saw the premiere of Kadri Kõusaar’s “Magnus” in the Un Certain Regard section, and in Venice, Veiko Õunpuu’s “Autumn Ball” made its debut in the Orizzonti section. Then there was Karlovy Vary and Ilmar Raag’s “The Class”. The list of awards would be too long to recount here. Warsaw experienced what might be called an Estonian film “explosion”, as that city’s festival decided to screen a number of newer Estonian films.
Estonian film is enjoying success with audiences at home, too: by the time Black Nights takes place, the 200,000 mark will exceeded. The current record for total audience was set in 2002, when the figure was 166,596.

Putting together the Estonian film competition programme was thus a pure joy this time around. The selection committee, consisting of Tiina Lokk (PÖFF), Andres Laasik (Eesti Päevaleht), Tõnu Karjatse (Eesti Raadio) and yours truly, argued the merits of their candidates and the result is now before viewers and the international jury. The films in the Estonian full-length feature competition programme will vie for the Scottish Leader Estonian Film Award, which has a monetary value of 50,000 kroons.
The competitive programme is the third in the 11-year history of BNFF and is most likely the most substantial to date.

Enjoy the films!

Annika Koppel
Programme coordinator