TALLINN: Christopher Nolan’s spy thriller Tenet, produced by Warner Bros., will start shooting in Tallinn in June. The cast includes David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki and Michael Caine.

TALLINN: Domestic films in Estonia have passed the 650 000 admissions mark in just four and a half months. In 2018, Estonian films had almost 649,000 admissions in total. The increase in domestic film admissions indicates that 2019 promises to be the most successful year yet.

TALLINN: The Little Comrade by Moonika Siimets was awarded best fiction film at the 3rd edition of the Estonian Film and Television Awards, organised by the Estonian Film Institute.

TALLINN: A Film Estonia is currently in production with the long animated feature Raggie / Sipsik directed by Meelis Arulepp and Karsten Kiilerich. The film is based on an Estonian children’s book by Eno Raud and it is a coproduction with Danish A.Film Production.

TALLINN: Tanel Toom’s debut feature Truth and Justice has set a new opening record in Estonia. The film premiered on 22 February 2019 and got 51,239 admissions in its opening weekend. This is the last film in the Estonian 100 film programme.

TALLINN: Lotte and the Lost Dragons / Lotte ja kadunud lohed will have its international premiere in Berlinale’s Generation Kplus programme (7-17 February 2019), same as the previous two instalments of the animation franchise directed by Heiki Ernits and Janno Põldma, Lotte from Gadgetville and Lotte and the Moonstone Secret. The film is already a hit in Estonia.

Estonian films had a breakthrough year in 2018. Domestic films had more than 647,600 admissions, which is an all-time record. In 2017 Estonian films had 282,421 admissions. The success of 2018 is mostly due to the Estonian Republic 100 film programme. Two record-breakers, The Little Comrade / Seltsimees laps directed by Moonika Siimets and produced by Amrion, and Phantom Owl Forest / Eia jõulud Tondikakul directed by Anu Aun and coproduced by Luxfilm and Kinosaurus Film, were both part of the programme.

TALLINN: Estonia, together with Latvia and Finland, is currently analysing possibilities of offering a joint cash rebate for international projects. The path is also clear for Italian/Baltic coproductions.

TALLINN: Eleven new projects from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Finland were presented at the Baltic works-in-progress showcase on 28 November 2018 at Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event at 22nd Tallinn Black Nights Festival. Most are looking for sales agents, distribution and festivals.

TALLINN: Legendary Estonian film director Hardi Volmer is in post-production with a feature film about the first Estonian filmmaker, The Real Life of Johannes Pääsuke / Johannes Pääsukese tõeline elu, who lived in the first half of the 20th century. Pääsuke filmed a documentary in the most southern part of Estonia, Setomaa, in 1913.