“There is lots of love coming from the audience. People are dressing up as film characters and celebrating. Estonian style hamburgers are back on the menu. I feel great”, director/writer/editor Rasmus Merivoo told FNE.
After being abducted by aliens 20 years ago, tough guy Valdis returns from space and finds his hometown in a liberal utopia. His friends have become woke, the police make burgers and the only smokes available are sold in pharmacies. Valdis fails to blend in and turns the world upside down.
“Since the feature is based on Rasmus’s film school graduation short film Alien, or Saving Valdis, in 11 Parts (2006), which became an Estonian cult classic, positive results could have been expected. There is a strong fan base because of the original short film. The over the top social satire also has divided opinions which has helped to make Alien 2 one of the must-see films in 2024 in Estonia”, producer Tõnu Hiielaid told FNE.
Tõnu Hiielaid and Rain Rannu produced the film through Tallifornia with a total budget of 700,000 EUR. Tallifornia released the film in Estonian cinemas on 1 April 2024.
The project was financed by the Estonian Film Institute with 500,000 EUR and the Cultural Endowment of Estonia with 100,000 EUR in 2022.
Märt Avandi, Ott Sepp, Vallo Kirs, Liisa Pulk, Kaia Skoblov and Indrek Ojari play the main characters of the film.
Principal photography took place between October 2022 and July 2023, in and around the same village where the short film had been shot 16 years ago, Kuusalu, which is also home of the director Rasmus Merivoo.
The international premiere of Alien 2 or The Return of Valdis in 17 Chapters in a festival is not confirmed yet.
Production Information:
Producer:
Tallifornia (Estonia)
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Credits:
Director: Rasmus Merivoo
Screenwriter: Rasmus Merivoo
DoP: Jako Krull
Production designer: Krete Tarkmees
Editors: Rasmus Merivoo, Kristin Kalamees
Sound: Markus Andreas, Jevgeni Berežovski
Main cast: Märt Avandi, Ott Sepp, Vallo Kirs, Liisa Pulk, Kaia Skoblov, Indrek Ojari, Ago Anderson, Indrek Taalma, Tõnn Lamp, Marek Tammets, Kaido Veermäe, Merle Jääger
