29-09-2022

FNE Oscar Watch 2023: Estonia Selects Kalev as Oscar Candidate

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    Kalev by Ove Musting Kalev by Ove Musting photo: Allfilm

    TALLINN: Kalev, a biopic about the legendary Estonian basketball team of the nineties and the directorial debut of the renowned music video maker Ove Musting, has been selected as Estonia’s candidate for the 95th Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences award in the Best International Feature Film category.

    The film is a biographical account of the Soviet Estonian national basketball team Kalev, who had a very difficult decision to make in 1990. When the Soviet Union was teetering on the verge of collapse and the Soviet Union basketball championship was set to begin on the backdrop of a deeply divided society, the team had to decide whether to participate or not.

    The film was produced by Estonian Allfilm and Ugri Film with Latvian Ego Media providing services for the shooting in Latvia. The film was supported by the Estonian Film Institute, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, the Estonian Ministry of Culture, the Riga Film Fund and the National Film Centre of Latvia through the Latvian cash rebate schemes.

    Kalev is lensed by one of the most experienced Estonian cinematographers, Rein Kotov.