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A series of contemporary Estonian films will be shown at the Gilmorehill Cinema as part of celebrations of Estonia Day 2008.

Event: Contemporary Estonian Films
Film Series: Contemporary Estonian Films
Celebrating Estonia Day 2008
Department of Central and East European Studies,
University of Glasgow

04-08 February, 2008
To celebrate Estonia Day 2008 and mark the 90th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia, a series of contemporary Estonian films will be shown at the Gilmorehill Cinema. The film screenings and lectures are part of a CRCEES event to mark the occasion.
"As a documentary film maker my main sphere of interest is the characteristic phenomena of a post-socialist society. In our films we observe how people's personal psyche is affected, how people adapt to changing values, as well as how the gender roles and moral standards are altered in a changing society." Jaak Kilmi
Additional information on films listed below can be found at the Estonian Film Foundation.
For further information contact the event organiser: Lea Kreinin (l.kreinin@lbss.gla.ac.uk)
Date    Time    Activity
Mon 04 Feb    17.00hrs    Film: The Art of Selling (2006)

    18.30hrs    Film: Revolution of Pigs (2004)

Tue 05 Feb    14.00-17.00hrs    Lecture: Part 1: Exploring Estonian documentaries

    17.00-19.00hrs    (Continuation of above lecture)
Wed 06 Feb    17.00hrs    Films: Estonian animation films (5 short films)

    20.15hrs    Film: Pärnography (2005)

Thu 07 Feb    15.00-17.00hrs    Lecture: Part 2: Exploring Estonian documentaries

    17.00-20.00hrs    (Continuation of above lecture)
Fri 08 Feb    17.00hrs    Film: The Class (2007)

    19.00hrs    Film: Autumn Ball (2007)


Monday 04 February:
 
The Art of Selling (2006)
Film: The Art of Selling (Andres Maimik & Jaak Kilmi 2006, 86 min)
Venue: Gilmorehill G12 | Tickets Free
Mr. Mark Vain is a legendary sales training instructor in Estonia. He worked with great success in the US for six weeks as a door-to door book peddler. Mark is inviting young active people to a meeting promoting the prospect of becoming successful salesmen in America. A middle-aged widow has lost her money and self-esteem. Now she is trying to overcome the depression by beginning a new life as a Tupperware sales representative. Art of Selling chronicles the impact of fundamental changes taking place in post-Communist societies that force people to seek new means to guide them through life.
(Estonian/English subtitles)
Before the screening – discussion with the director Mr. Kilmi.
***
Film: Revolution of Pigs (Jaak Kilmi & Rene Reinumägi 2004, 98 min)
Venue: Gilmorehill G12 | Tickets Free
"Revolution of Pigs" is an adventurous youth comedy, taking place in a Woodstock-like milieu. The main character is Tanel, a 16-year-old boy, who, taking part of a youth revolt against the system, finds himself and his love. In summer 1986 five hundred 15- to 18-year-old young people, bursting with energy, have gathered into a camp beside a forest lake. They are looking forward to the coming three days, to the gathering of the Estonian pupils' summer brigades; three days full of adventures, falling in love and party. But they are living in a totalitarian system and the energy of the youth is pressed into rigid frames of proper behaviour...
(Estonian/English subtitles)
After the film – discussion with Mr. Kilmi.
***

Tuesday 05 February:
Lecture: Part 1 – Exploring Estonian documentaries (Jaak Kilmi & Tristan Priimägi)
Venue: Seminar room, 8 Lilybank Gardens | All welcome
The Lecture seeks to explore how Estonian society is reflected in documentaries. Parts of documentary films will be shown to as examples. More details to follow.
(In English)
***

Wednesday 06 February:
Films: Estonian animation films (5 short films)
Venue: Gilmorehill G12 | Tickets Free
Animation films for adults. The individual films are as follows.
Before the film there will be a discussion with Mr Tristan Priimägi, who will speak about Estonian animation films from the point of view of semiotics.
•    Frank & Wendy (Priit Pärn, Kaspar Jancis, Ülo Pikkov & Priit Tender 2005, 75 min)
Two American secret agents - Frank and Wendy - are sent to the world's hotbed of danger, known as Estonia. Estonia is a silly place, perhaps even sillier than the agents themselves. Frank and Wendy, for whom saving the world is their daily work, achieve both mental and manual feats with the greatest of ease. It appears that nothing can prevent their ultimate victory, but go figure. The axis of evil does not wither and attacks the super-agents from where they can least expect it...
•    Weitzenberg street (Kaspar Jancis, ? min)
A man dreams of a woman. The woman is, in turn, interested in someone else. The man abandons his attempts to attract the woman's attention because he has discovered a new object of desire. The woman, in turn, becomes interested in the man. The man, though, is interested only in his new favorite, due to whom the man soon finds himself in danger. The man barely escapes - instead, those whom both the man and the woman desire perish. The man and the woman find each other again...
 
Brothers Bearhearts (2005)
•    Brothers Bearhearts (Andrus Kivirähk & Riho Unt 2005, 20 min)
The heroes of this film are three bear-cubs from the cult painting by Ivan Shishkin, 'Morning in a Pine Forest'. Having lost their painter mother, the three brothers Henry, Vincent, and August happen to appear in Paris, the city of every creator. The brothers' every attempt to earn their living as artists fails. Their impressionistic 'collies' won't be acknowledged. Under cover as circus lions, the bear-cubs travel back to Russia to find their mother's heritage.
•    Instinct (Rao Heidmets 2003, 10 min)
What happens when the Maker loses control over his creation and it starts to obey it's own will. Highly recommended for close attention to everyone involved in cloning, AI creation and otherwise witty people.
•    Karl & Marilyn (Priit Pärn 2003, 24 min)
Karl is tired of the heavy burden of fame that oppresses him and he decides to liberate himself from it. He returns to life among so called ordinary people, after which he crosses paths with fame-seeking Marilyn. Ordinary Karl is the force that turns Marilyn into an idol of the masses. But not for long...
***
Film: Pärnography (Hardi Volmer 2005, 70 min)
Venue: Gilmorehill G12 | Tickets Free
Documentary film – Estonia is not an acclaimed film sanctuary, but Estonian animation films are highly praised all over the globe. Why? Is Estonia an enchanted Animazone? The Man from Animazone focuses on Priit Pärn (born in 1946), an animator of international renown, whose works are utterly grotesque, absurd and funny. Additionally, they are critical about the society, piercing the deepest levels of human consciousness. A closer examination of Pärn and other Estonian animators revealed that Estonia was not sung or fought to freedom &ndash it was liberated via animation!
Estonian/English subtitles
***

Thursday 07 February:
Lecture: Part 2 – Exploring Estonian documentaries (Jaak Kilmi & Tristan Priimägi)
Venue: Seminar room, 8 Lilybank Gardens | All welcome
The Lecture seeks to explore how Estonian society is reflected in documentaries. Parts of documentary films will be shown to as examples. More details to follow.
(In English)
***

Friday 08 February:
 
The Class (2007)
Film: The Class (Ilmar Raag 2007, 97 min)
Venue: Gilmorehill G12 | Tickets Free
Feature film – Seven chapters from the life of the pupils of an anonymous Estonian secondary school. An average guy of an Estonian high-school decides to defend his bullied classmate. This starts war between him and the informal leader of the class. As teenagers' honour is a touchy thing, everything ends in bloodshed.
(Estonian/English subtitles)
The film won the Europa Cinemas Label as Best European film at the 42nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
***
 
Autumn Ball (2007)
Film: Autumn Ball (Veiko Õunpuu 2007, 90 min)
Venue: Gilmorehill G12 | Tickets Free
Feature film – A coal-black comedy of solitude, hope and desperation. The film shows some chosen moments from the life of six people living in a sprawling conurbation of tower blocks built during the Soviet era. How close can we get to other human beings? Is it possible to live a life completely devoid of love? Can someone, who has experienced how fragile a state of affairs shared happiness is, trust another again? The gently stylized and indifferent world of the film steadily advances towards winter and will not give any answers to these questions. What this world can demonstrate, though, is the possibility for laughter even there, where hope has long since become a sparse commodity.
(Estonian/English subtitles)
The film won the main feature film prize in the "Orizzonti" section at the Venice International Film Festival in 2007
***

04-08 February, 2008
Gilmorehill Cinema, University of Glasgow.

First published: 13 January 2012