SECTION: Close Up: Estonia

Close Up: Estonia highlights the history and everyday life, myths and visions of Estonian society. A country in a region that is characterised by fears about the future due to its geopolitical location, but which presents itself with great self-confidence.

How does contemporary Estonian cinema remember history, what contemporary issues does it reflect on, and what particularly inspires Estonian cinema audiences? Between historical reflection, black humour and meditative landscape observation, there are a few surprises from a film scene that is just as up-to-date as the level of digitalisation in its country: from fantasy experiences with the workaholic Kratts and Estonian mythical creatures from the semi-darkness of storage rooms to the everyday worries of dog food testers to regional portraits and universal questions about the human condition.

The series ‘Close Up: Estonia’ is supported by the Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, bpb).

Talk: Close-Up: Estonia
Stadthaus Cottbus, Fri 07.11. | 11:40

Talk: Katrin Groth, Town Writer in Tartu
Kammerbühne, Mi 05.11. | 11:15

8 VIEWS OF LAKE BIWA

BIWA JÄRVE 8 NÄGU

Marko Raat
EE/FI / 2024 / 126 min

On a boat trip, several school children disappear without a trace. The tragedy sets eight stories in motion. Inspired by Japanese mythology, a mysterious panorama of loss, change, and passion unfolds in a remote Estonian fishing village. #drama ...

AURORA

Andres Maimik, Rain Tolk
EE / 2025 / 111 min

On the day of her wedding anniversary, Aurora, the daughter of a cult leader, is haunted by her past, one she had long repressed. Aurora harbours a secret that threatens to destroy the image of the perfect family. Berlinale Shooting Star and FFC jury ...

BETWEEN BORDERS

SINIKOLLANE

Erik Tikan
EE / 2025 / 90 min

With the onset of the Russian invasion, Erko resolves to help in Ukraine as a volunteer medic. And yet the longer his missions become, the more removed he grows from his family back in Estonia. An Estonian perspective on the war in Ukraine and the ...

DORPAT – TARTU: VON TRACHTEN UND TATTOOS. EINE FILMREPORTAGE MIT KATRIN GROTH

DORPAT – TARTU

Benno Kühn, Danio Schneider, Justus Maruschke, Marlene Demmrich, Kathrin Lantzsch,
DE / 2025 / 45 min

Tartu, Estonia's second-largest city, is widely considered to be the intellectual centre of the country and was the European Capital of Culture in 2024. Reason enough to accompany writer-in-residence Katrin Groth at work. She offers in-depth insights ...

BAA-BAA!

KINGITUS KOLME OGA

Teresa Juksaar
EE / 2025 / 14 min

The chaos of a young family moving home is subject to further disruption: The parcel courier arrives together with Gloooria, a gift from an unknown person – she's a goat. And can't possibly stay, especially not in this stuffy, up-market suburb. In ...

COME SIT WITH US

ÄRA OLE UHKE

Elis Rumma
EE / 2025 / 14 min

After her boyfriend neglects her during Midsummer Festival, Lola ends up in the company of a mysterious group of women who preach to her that enduring the unchanging whims of men is every woman's duty. As darkness falls, the unpleasant encounter ...

JUNGLE LAW

ÄÄREMÄNGIJAD

Madli Lääne
EE / 2024 / 18 min

As dusk sets in, three young people meet on the beach. Summer and youth pulsate within them; whilst playing ball they flirt with one another. Yet knowing nothing more than the law of the jungle, their passions, rivalries, and desperate envy ...

CASABLANCA

Riho Unt
EE / 2024 / 9 min

In the dreary everyday existence of a porcelain factory, Mary and Paul dream of a better life and bond over the words and images on the cups. And yet ceramics not only enables them to plan their futures, but also to engage in impassioned arguments. A ...

BREADSONG

LEIVALAUL

Katariina Aule
EE / 2025 / 15 min

A poor peasant family in the 19th century is plagued by a bitterly cold winter. Whilst eating mouldy bread, the children suddenly receive radio waves from the future; infectious Eurodance beats and traffic reports begin to sound forth from their ...

MARELLE

Kristjan Poom
EE / 2025 / 19 min

From the unfathomable depths of the soul: In this absurd, satirical short comedy, the otherwise calm and frugal bourgeois father Markus is pushed to the limits of his sanity. The new couple from next-door adopt a miniature pig and give it the same ...

YUMMY

Martinus Klemet
EE / 2024 / 9 min

A dog food tester leads a routine existence, one she is perfectly satisfied with. After she dumps the man of her dreams, he persists in trying to get back together. And so she is forced to resort to radical measures... A darkly humorous, playful ...

FRÄNK

Tõnis Pill
EE/FI / 2025 / 108 min

Paul, 13 years old and new to this small town, gets caught up in a clique of glue-sniffing teenagers who bully Fränk, a young man with a disability. When a secret friendship develops between the two, the situation threatens to escalate. A powerful, ...

KRATT

Rasmus Merivoo
Estonia / 2020 / 107 min

Remarkably fabulous madness, inclusive of criticism of social media. Mia and Kevin are desperate. Their parents have left them behind with grandma so that they might experience a childhood just like in the past. No smartphones, no videos and no ...

LIFE AND LOVE

ELU JA ARMASTUS

Helen Takkin
EE / 2024 / 118 min

In 1933 Irma, a young woman from the countryside, goes to live with her cousin in order to experience life in the city. The publisher she works for draws her into a dazzling bohemian world and, at the same time, into a destructive love affair. As the ...

NOVEMBER

Rainer Sarnet
EE/NL/PL / 2017 / 115 min

Back in the 19th century: The harsh winter in a pagan village is dominated by the plague, werewolves and spirits. Most notably the Kratts, mythical creatures, found only in Estonia, cobbled together from discarded everyday objects. Rainer Sarnet's ...

ONE-DIMENSIONAL MAN

Andres Puustusmaa
EE / 2025 / 103 min

Even intelligence officers age. Raul's father, Viktor, harassed his son with strict discipline and talk of communism during Soviet times; no doubt he did the same to his interrogation victims as well. Now he's in a nursing home, and has to have his ...

SMOKE SAUNA SISTERHOOD

SAVVUSANNA SÕSARAD

Anna Hints
EE/FR/IS / 2023 / 89 min

In the darkness of smoke sauna, women share their innermost secrets and intimate experiences. Through a sense of communion, women wash off the shame trapped in their bodies and regain their strength. No story too shameful, no burden too heavy to ...

SUNDIAL

PÄIKESEAEG

Liis Nimik
EE / 2023 / 65 min

Quiet observations in the Estonian countryside. Stove fires, snow, and grassy landscapes. A pictorial journey composed of perceptive everyday observations and dreamy glimpses of nature, to the fringes of modern society and into the "simple" lives of ...