May I Introduce the Estonian Cinema...

Plot: Three middle aged men are going to their high school reunion after 25 years and the troubles that come with it.

Genre: Comedy

A small farm community is on the brink of getting swallowed by raging war. Lives of the frightened locals get shaken by the arrival of two men on the run from the mysterious, apparently vengeful Peedu.

Genre: Adventure, mystery, thriller

Plot: A small farm community is on the brink of getting swallowed by raging war. Lives of the frightened locals get shaken by the arrival of two men on the run from the mysterious, apparently vengeful Peedu.

Genre: Drama

Plot: We live in an era of global consumption where the rate of consumption is increasing exponentially. It's no secret that the fashion industry is at the forefront of this consumption rally. Thousands of factories in the third world produce not only clothing for big corporations, but also tons and tons of toxic waste. Fashion designer Ret Aus has an ambitious plan to change the world. Aus has realized that the only way to fight against the fashion industry is from the inside. The documentary "Out of Fashion" follows Reet Aus's journey from Tallinn, through the fashion stages of Europe and the cotton plantations of South America, and right into the epicenter of mass production in Bangladesh. The documentary was filmed from 2009-2014.

Genre: Documentary

Plot: When the town is attacked by a mystical virus that turns all the grown-ups into children, four brave 10 year olds fight back to save their loved ones despite all the obstacles.

Genre: Action, adventure, fantasy

Plot: Fleeing from the Russian secret police, a young Estonian fencer is forced to return to his homeland, where he becomes a physical teacher at a local school. The past however catches up and puts him in front of a difficult choice.

Genre: Drama, history, sport

Why watch: nominated for the Golden Globe and the Academy Award of the best foreign movie in 2015 (representing for Finland)

Plot: The events of the war in 1944, from the Blue Hills to Sõrve Peninsula. Shown through the eyes of Estonian soldiers who had to pick sides and fight against fellow brothers. Choices have to be made, not only by the soldiers, but also by their loved ones.

Genre: Drama, war

Plot: After being denounced as an outcast in school and frightened away from home by his mother's developing schizophrenia, there is no other way out for Johannes but to start improving his life by reforming himself.

Genre: Drama

Plot: Cherry Tobacco is about a small-town girl, Laura, who is constantly bored. Her mother gets on her nerves, boys her age are stupid and everything anyone wants to do seems childish. One day Laura's energetic friend Merit invites her on a hike to a bog led by a middle-aged nature-lover called Joosep. The beginning of the trip is anything but promising: the relation- ship between the reserved girl and the outgoing Joosep, who tries to impress the hiking party with his hillbilly style and bizarre rituals, becomes tense. But much to her own surprise, Laura discovers that as the hike continues she is enchanted by the rugged charms of Joosep. The quest is coming to its irrefutable end and Laura has to decide whether a relationship with an older man is a mere step along the winding road towards becoming a woman or whether it is her very first love.

Genre: Romance

Why watch: Beautiful cinematography, Estonian nature at its best.

Genre: Drama

Plot: A young woman who grew up in orphanage is longing to be loved, but does not have it in her to love others. Her teenage looks help her while falsely accused of committing a crime to hide in a orphanage without arousing any suspicion. There, she meets a 13 years old homeless person like herself, Kristina, and together they set out on a long journey to a small town in Kazakhstan, where Kristina's grandmother lives...

Genre: Drama

Collaborations with Kazakhstan, Russia, Finland and Belarus

"Risttuules" is very emotional and tragic movie about mass deportation to Siberia based on memories of Erna. It all started 14th of June 1941 when trucks came for the innocent families with their children where they headed to train station and later by animal wagons to Siberia. "How to survive hunger, cold, humiliation, losing friends and freedom, but still keep living on, when almost all hope is lost?"

Genre: drama, history (experimental historical movie based on real stories)

Why watch: To understand Estonian heart of pain, interesting cinematography (made by captures)

War in Abkhazia 1990. An Estonian man Ivo has stayed behind to harvest his crops of tangerines. In a bloody conflict at his door, a wounded man is left behind, and Ivo is forced to take him in.

Genre: drama, war

Collaboration with Georgia, where it was filmed.

Why watch: nominated for the Golden Globe and the Academy Award of the best foreign movie in 2014.

30-year old Kertu has lived under her father's power her whole life. Because of her gentle nature, she is thought by locals to be a little simple-minded. The young woman makes her first timid attempt to change something in her life - she send a postcard to Villu, a handsome but degenerate village drunk.

Genre: drama, romance

The story of a promising, young man with exciting career opportunities and looming marital bliss.

Genre: drama

A brilliant but misguided man feels that he has the right to decide who is worth their place on earth.

Genre: drama

This 3D animated opera deals in a socially critical manner with the topic of illegal immigrants fleeing from Africa to Europe and it is also a story of impossible love between orange boy Maroc, a singing boat refugee, and lemon girl Lisa, who collects singing seashells and dreams about love. Maroc is the brave hero-type, bound by prejudice and poverty. Lisa is the daughter of a rich businessman and tomato ketchup plantation owner. Here we have the fruitier version of Romeo and Juliet - a 3D animated operatic extravaganza!

Genre: animation

The main character, Helmi, is born into the house of Baron von Strandmann in Old-Town Tallinn, in 1908. The only thing that she knows for sure about her past is that her mother was an Estonian servant girl. Everything else is a discovery during a life that runs the course of a century - a life that has quite a lot of surprises in store for Helmi. In this house she finds happiness and suffering, passion and disappointment. She grows up alongside young Erik and waits for her big love to blossom. But one floor down lives projectionist Julius - a man who is far from indifferent when it comes to Helmi. All of the biggest historical events of the century leave their mark on the house. Its hardwood floors have born soldiers' gruff boots and gentleman's shiny oxfords. Its walls have held the fates of people from far and near, foreigners and locals. Helmi's home becomes a German salon, a revolution museum, and a working class commune. And as freedom comes, real estate crooks start sniffing around the place. The only things that remain unchanged in these turbulent times are the cinema hall projecting living images on the screen and Julius's quiet love for Helmi. Director Hardi Volmer's historical love story combines the grotesque of early silent films with the melodrama of the golden age of cinema with elements of both the epic and the comic.

Genre: drama, historic

An impressionistic story about a talented musician, Leila, and her unwillingness to compromise her principles which lead to nothing but disappointment.

Genre: music, drama

When Joko, Ants and Reeda, all in their own good reasons, first enter a casino, they can't possibly be aware of the very existence of the demons inside them. Soon enough, they will know. But then it is already too late and their lives are suddenly caught in a fatal vortex.

Genre: drama

A journalist has gotten wind of corruption rumors involving a politician. On the day the journalist tries to contact him, he decides to go mushrooming with his wife. [imdb]

One of the funniest comedies made for Estonians. Fragments of the world champion of skiing Andrus Veerpalu dope charges, politics hustling with people's money and a lot of inside jokes about estonian people. Also a little bit mushrooming.
I wouldn't recommend it to everybody, only them who know about estonian current news and gossip. Otherwise it would be pointless and boring.

Genre: comedy, thriller

A tormented young woman is given a hiding place by an elderly lady and soon they are reminded of their mutual horrendous past.

Purge is a cooperation project between Estonia and Finland. The book author Sofi Oksanen is born in Estonia, but lives in Finland. Her same titled book activity is happening in Estonia (and Europe).
Funny thing is that in movie the Estonian speaking characters are played by Finns, the Russians are portayed by Estonians :)

Anne leaves Estonia to come to Paris and care for Frida, an elderly Estonian lady who emigrated to France long ago. Anne soon realizes that she is not wanted. All Frida wants from life is the attention of Stephane, her younger lover from years ago. Stephane, however, is desperate for Anne to stay and look after Frida, even against the old lady's will. In this conflict of strangers, Anne finds her own way... Written by Ilmar Raag

Genre: drama

At an ever-accelerating pace, this thriller / dark comedy tells the story of 8 very different groups whose paths cross in the space of 24 hours. We meet a wide range of characters - from spoiled rich brats to real bottom-feeding criminal scum, and everyone in-between. In the best traditions of Commedia dell'arte, the characters each have easily recognizable roles - although there are a few twists to throw the audience off and keep things fresh. The story revolves around a few odd coincidences and a ****load of bad decisions, which all result in a really messed-up Friday. It starts out innocently enough with jokes, fun and a bit of alcohol, but given the level of intellectual capacity in our leading characters, you can see the train wreck coming. And when some drugged out punks - who have a rather tenuous relationship with reality during best of days - go all Clockwork Orange on an opera loving cankerous old man, it can only end up in tears (and blood, guts and bit of rather literal toilet humour as well). Written by Tallinn Skyline Productions.

Genre: comedy, crime, thriller

Visually stunning adaption of Dostoyevski's "The Idiot".
A story of a man, whose sincerity becomes a great weapon in a cynical world. Story isn't new at all, but all the modern decorations, amazing costumes and exciting movie shooting scenes made this movie. Also actors gave great performances.

Genre: history, drama

Genre: documentary

A teenage girl learns fast and hard, how to survive in a disintegrating countryside family.

Genre: drama

Genre: crime, drama, thriller

Genre: music, comedy

Kuku is the personal story of one of the most famous Estonian film actors during the Soviet era, Arvo Kukumagi. He wants to make a comeback to the big screen, but constantly suffers different setbacks: he has a major alcohol problem, a bunch of failed relationships and a near-dead professional career.

Genre: biography

It's December and Christmastime, but outside the summer sun blazes. Something is wrong! The Mayan calendar predicts that the world will end on December 21, 2012. Every Estonian has to decide how they will spend their last days. Rait finally wants to confess his feelings to his lifelong love, the starlet Lenna Kuurmaa. His friend Mihkel, hits his head, goes bonkers, and needs to save the world by sacrificing that very same Lenna to the Sun Gods. Brenda wants to escape her dictatorial mother but insane asylum orderlies chase her. Ervin wins the world's last lottery and is so upset by not having any way to spend it that he wants to die from misery. Confusion reigns, but hope always dies last... And, fortunately, the end finally comes. Written by Lili Pilt.

Genre: adventure

Jaak Kilmi & Kiur Aarmas fresh documentary tragicomedy Tallinn Spicy Sprats: the Canned Tales investigates the relationship between the city and its residents by recreating the personal stories and dreams of 12 ordinary people. In the film, the stories of the living and dead, memories and city legends, children and skeletons meet. All these diff erent stories are connected by a five-hundred-year-old murder story that occurred in old Tallinn. This old story a story about justice and equality is recreated for our camera by 12 ordinary Tallinn residents. This is story about a city that has attracted peasants escaping from serfdom, girls from small towns dreaming of jobs at the Tallinn Department Store, dropouts who trying working on construction sites during the real estate boom, and vulnerable artistic souls that felt stifled in their home villages.

Genre: documentary

Film about a man who was sent to fight in Afghanistan years ago, where he converted to Islam. He now returns home only to find himself facing another kind of war.The front line in the decrepit Estonian town runs between Eastern and Western culture, men and women, common sense and madness. Somewhere amidst these battles is his daughter, who Kirotaja has decided to find after all the years of absence. His only leads are the sound of his daughter crying, heard once on the telephone, and a dog-eared notebook full of letters addressed to her. But the town has other plans for him and the women running it seem to take him for their savior from the nagging feeling of emptiness that has enveloped them.

Genre: drama

Wintry fairytale for adults. The unusual love story is based on the motifs of H. C. Andersen's fairytale. A woman living in an ice castle lures a boy to her. He becomes so spellbound by the woman and her land of ice that he forgets the real world. The woman hides the secret of why she is living in the cold from the boy. Those, who know the original story by H.C. Andersen, will also remember that only a few lines spoke of the relationship between the boy and the Snow Queen. The question remained unanswered: what did the boy and the Snow Queen do in the ice castle for all of the time the girl spent looking for the boy?

Genre: romance, drama

Genre: crime, drama

A mid-level manager who develops an aversion to being "good" finds himself confronting the mysteries of middle-age and morality as he loses grasp of what was once his quiet life.

Genre: mystery, fantasy

A story about growing up in the Soviet Union. The film tells the story of a strange kind of information war, where a totalitarian regime stands face to face with the heroes of popular culture. And loses. It was a time when it was possible for erotic film star Emmanuelle to bring down the Red Army and MacGyver to outdo an entire school administration. It is a film about our generation, who were unknowingly brought to the front line of the Cold War. Western popular culture had an incomparable role shaping Soviet children's world views in those days. Finnish television was a window to a world of dreams that the authorities could not block in any way. Though Finnish channels were banned, many households found some way to access the forbidden fruit. Written by Warsaw Film Festival

Genre: documentary

Genre: drama

Genre: crime, drama

Genre: drama

An ethnographic musical drama about a Seto (regional ethnic minority in South-Eastern Estonia) folk-singer Hilana Taarka.

Genre: biography

Genre: animation, short

The young country of Estonia is dancing to the jazzy tune of the 1920's when on December 1, 1924, the capital Tallinn is overrun by members of the Comintern in an attempt to stage a Communist coup. The film follows the fates of a young soldier called Tanel and his wife, a telephone operator named Anna, amidst the ensuing chaos which determines whether the country remains independent or becomes a minor province in the Communist Empire.

Genre: history, drama

Veteran actors from the 3 Baltic countries - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - gather at a castle in Latvia to receive awards for their roles as Nazi villains in propagandist Soviet war films. They reminisce about the films that made them famous throughout the USSR, but also stigmatized the Baltic countries as Nazi sympathizers in the eyes of many Russians - a misconception that is nowadays exploited by the Russian media, desperate to label the Baltic countries as a fascist haven.

Genre: documentary