TALLINN: Tanel Toom’s debut drama won five top awards at the fourth Estonian Film and Television Awards (EFTA). The gala, which was initially planned for April 2020, but was postponed until September due to the COVID-19 crisis, took place with a reduced number of guests in attendance.
TALLINN: Jaak Kilmi’s children’s feature The Sleeping Beast / Tagurpidi torn, produced by Stellar Film, started shooting on 3 August and will continue until 11 September 2020. The shooting takes place in Laitse Radio Station, a now abandoned broadcasting complex built in the 50s, and also in the South of Estonia in the Tartu Film Fund's region.
TALLINN: The first part of the medieval crime trilogy Melchior the Apothecary started shooting on 13 July 2020 in Tallinn. The Estonian/Latvian/German coproduction is based on Indrek Hargla's successful crime novels.
TALLINN: Five domestic features: Kalev, Erik Stoneheart, Melchior the Apothecary, The Sleeping Beast and Estonian Funeral, are filming in Estonia this summer.
TALLINN: The Estonian Film Institute has launched Estonian Shorts, a website for short films which makes selected short films available for viewing for free.
TALLINN: The Estonian production company Nafta Films (O-2, Melchior the Apothecary, Erna at War, Secret Society of Souptown) is partnering on the Russian/Estonian coproduction The Conference. Estonia is responsible for the postproduction of the film.
TALLINN: The Estonian Film Institute will distribute 1.3 m EUR as compensation measures to face the challenges in the film sector caused by the COVID-19 virus outbreak.
TALLINN: Some animation filmmakers are finding it relatively easy to continue with their work, although other productions have largely halted. The Estonian bundle content startup IMEPILT Studios is in production with the animated adventure comedy Danger Island, written by Elizabeth Martin and Lauren Hynek (Disney’s Mulan 2020) and John Bellina (iZOMBiE).
TALLINN: The Estonian Film Institute and the Year of Digital Culture 2020 have announced an open call for Estonian filmmakers to create one-minute short films.
TALLINN: The Estonian Ministry of Culture has put forward a plan to support culture and sports with an additional 25 m EUR to deal with the COVID-19 crisis. The crisis package still needs to be approved by the Estonian Parliament.