Centered around the coming-of-age tale of teenage protagonist Hanake, 8 Views of Lake Biwa features a blend of Baltic and Japanese culture and imagery, wrapped in a net of tragic love stories in the community, and told through the prism of the Japanese “Eight Views” art tradition.
The Eight Views is an Eastern artistic tradition that describes human state of mind through eight poetic motifs: evening glow, snow, sails returning in the evening, rain, autumn moon, temple bell, clear breeze, wild geese departing. In Japan these elements are interpreted primarily in the area surrounding Lake Biwa. These motifs provide the framework for eight intertwining tragic love stories set in the modern Old Believers’ fishing villages near Lake Peipus, that stand on the edges of Estonian-Russian settlements and culture.
In keeping with the story, which is loosely based on Max Dauthendey’s eponymous 1911 novel, the shooting will take place amongst an Old Believers’ community - religious refugees who fled Russia in the 17th century.
8 Views of Lake Biwa is a return to feature film for writer/director Marko Raat, after a decade of documentaries. It is produced by Ivo Felt and Dora Nedeczky for Allfilm and coproduced by Mark Lwoff and Misha Jaari for Bufo in Helsinki, Finland.
The film’s budget is 1.3 m EUR and it has been financed by the Estonian Film Institute, the Estonian Cultural Endowment, the Tartu Film Fund, the Ida-Viru Film Fund and the Finnish Film Foundation. The film is made in collaboration with Finnish Yle.
Animated segments will be handled by Hungarian Panni Gyulai.
The 31 shooting days are spread over the period from 28 July to 10 September 2022.
The premiere is set for 2023.
Production Information:
Producer:
Allfilm (Estonia)
Ivo Felt: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Coproducer:
Bufo (Finland)
Credits:
Director: Marko Raat
Screenwriter: Marko Raat
Cinematographer: Sten Johan Lill
Production designer: Kristina Lõuk
Costume designer: Reet Aus
Make-up designer: Liisi Põllumaa
Composer: Laura Hynninen
Sound designer: Karri Niinivaara
Editor: Jaak Ollino Jr.
Animation: Panni Gyulai
Cast: Elina Masing, Tiina Tauraite, Hendrik Toompere Jr, Meelis Rämmeld, Kärt Kokkota, Simeoni Sundja, Jarmo Reha, Maarja Jakobson, Toomas Saarepera, Jan Uuspõld, JüriVlassov, Peeter Tammearu, Tommi Korpela
