Focus Country: Estonia
BEAST IFF returns to Porto from the 25th to the 29th of September 2024 and brings the best of Central and Eastern European cinema to various venues in the city – Batalha Centro de Cinema, Cinema Passos Manuel, OKNA, Térmita, among others to be announced.
Estonia is the Focus Country at BEAST’s seventh edition. Every year the festival dedicates a space in its program to a country’s film scene in the FOCUS COUNTRY section, which is divided into several programmes. The festival reveals the first three of several sessions that will make up this year’s FOCUS COUNTRY section: DIRECTOR FOCUS, dedicated to Triin Ruumet, with a screening of the film Dark Paradise; RETROSPECTIVE, which presents documentaries from the 70s and 80s, as well as newsreels and advertising from the 60s and 80s; and SCHOOL VISIT, with a Carte Blanche from the Estonian Academy of Arts – EKA, which presents a collection of works created by students between 2021 and 2024.
DIRECTOR FOCUS is a programme within the Focus Country section that seeks to create a space for highlighting a strong vision in the recent cinematic universe of the Focus Country. This year, the director in focus is Triin Ruumet. The program includes a screening of her latest film: Dark Paradise (2023). A psycho-thriller that follows the ambiguous feelings and peculiar paths of two brothers who are dealing with the grief of their father’s death. Regarding the film, in a recent interview, Ruumet said that “it’s a bit disturbing, so I think that for some people Dark Paradise might be difficult to digest. That said, disturbing experiences can serve as a gateway to something new”. This is an invitation to immerse yourself in an enriching cinematic representation of the complexity of the human psyche, without fear of pointing out its darker aspects.
RETROSPECTIVE is composed by a sample of documentaries as well as newsreels from the 60s and commercials from the 80s. Five documentaries from the 70s and 80s are shown: Tänav 79, by Heli Speek; Linnaloom, by Peeter Tooming; Lasnamäe, by Mark Soosaar; Teel, by Valeria Anderson and Allika poole mineja, by Peeter Tooming. Through this cinematic journey, marked by few words but strong and exciting musical score, a light urban, suburban and countryside portrait is drawn, following in the footsteps of the human, the animal and the natural. The experience also includes the interspersed presentation of newsreels from the 1960s, as well as advertisements from the 1980s created by Eesti Reklaamfilm, an advertising agency that operated between 1967 and 1998, and which was subordinate to the National Film Committee of the Estonian RSS. A journey through television from different eras, in which the audience will also have the opportunity to discover the evolution of advertising, a defining element of various societies right up to the present day. This programme was made possible thanks to the support of the Estonian Film Institute’s Heritage department, as well as the Estonian National Archive.
And finally, the SCHOOL VISIT – EKA programme. Founded in 1914, the Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA) is the oldest and only public university of visual culture in Estonia. EKA’s Animation department was established in 2006. The main goal of the program is to successfully educate creators of animated films by providing them with theoretical knowledge and practical skills. The additional aim is to contribute to the global development of animation as an art form. EKA has a Carte Blanche in this year’s BEAST programme, selecting master’s and bachelor’s films from the last 3 years, covering various techniques and different narrative approaches. The selection encompasses the artistic variety of the students as authors, as well as reflecting the department’s curriculum. 11 films make up this session: Soul Bird by Piret Potter; My Mother the Sea by Aspasia Kazeli; Cufufu by Bruno Quast, The Juggler’s Guide by Rebeka Kruus, Revolutionem Cognitivam or an incomplete lexicon of your electromagnetic body by Ariel Genrihov, Anu-Kadri Uustalu and Agnes Milla Berzceki; Hit the Nail on the Head by Kaimar Lomp, Lyza Jarvis, Maria Rakitina and Cristo Madisoo; Hidden Life by Kadi Sink, Silver Strazdins and Sigrit Villido; Recents by Sophia Bazalgette; Poppy Flowers by Evridiki Papaiakovou; No Shortcuts by Kadi Sink; Togg by Silvan Zweifel.
The FOCUS COUNTRY dedicated to Estonia has the support of the Estonian Film Institute and the Estonian Embassy in Portugal and is composed of other upcoming programmes.
BEAST’s global programme will also be announced soon. The festival is supported by the International Visegrad Fund and Câmara Municipal do Porto.
LIST OF FILMS ANNOUNCED | FOCUS ESTONIA
DIRECTOR FOCUS – Triin Ruumet
Dark Paradise | Estonia, France | 2023 | 108´
RETROSPECTIVE
Tänav 79 | Heli Speek | 1979 | 09´46
Linnaloom | Peeter Tooming | 1981 | 10´23
Lasnamäe | Mark Soosaar | 1985 | 10´22
Teel | Valeria Anderson | 1977 | 20´46
Allika poole mineja | Peeter Tooming | 1979 | 10´29
Newsreels
Üliõpilased Minskist | Ülo Tambek | 1967 | 58″
Peeglite tootmine | Reet Kasesalu | 1966 | 1´00
Ajutalituste uurimine | Vitali Gorbunov | 1965 | 01´04
Eesti Reklaamfilm
Karvamütsid Tallinna Kaubamajast | 1984 | 43″
Kohvrid Tallinna Kaubamajast | 1985 | 45″
Kangad Tallinna Kaubamajast | 1985 | 55″
Keraamika Tallinna Kaubamajast | 1984 | 56″
Klaasesemed Tallinna Kaubamajast | 1988 | 31″
Hõbedast noad-kahvlid-lusikad | 1984 | 51″
SCHOOL VISIT — EKA
Soul Bird | Piret Potter | Estonia | 2024 | 5´5
My Mother the Sea | Aspasia Kazeli | Estonia | 2022 | 6´01
Cufufu | Bruno Quast | Estonia | 2021 | 6´28
The Juggler’s Guide | Rebeka Kruus | Estonia | 2023 | 3´26
Revolutionem Cognitivam or an incomplete lexicon of your electromagnetic body | Ariel Genrihov, Anu-Kadri Uustalu, Agnes Milla Berzceki | Estonia | 2023 | 6´15
Hit the Nail on the Head | Kaimar Lomp, Lyza Jarvis, Maria Rakitina, Cristo Madisoo | Estonia | 2021 | 6´1
Hidden Life | Kadi Sink, Silver Strazdins, Sigrit Villido | Estonia | 2022 | 8´21
Recents | Sophia Bazalgette | Estonia | 2022 | 6´26
Poppy Flowers | Evridiki Papaiakovou | Estonia | 2024 | 4´21
No Shortcuts | Kadi Sink | Estonia | 2021 | 3´29
Togg | Silvan Zweifel | Estonia | 2021 | 8´22
