According to Maria Ulfsak, feature film expert and film journalist at the Estonian Film Institute, budget supplementation for the film industry helps increase productivity, which also increases the likelihood of top-notch films being made. She also reminds us that this is an art in which success requires the freedom to experiment and make mistakes.
Estonia’s oldest film prize, Neitsi Maali, was awarded on Wednesday, which this year went to Anna Hints’ documentary “The Sisters of Savvusanna”. Ulfsaki wasn’t surprised. “Especially after missing out on the Oscar nomination,” Ulfsak admitted, but clarified that the winner will still be decided before the Oscar pre-selection news breaks.
According to Ulfsak, the selection process for the award is relatively simple. “The fact is that a lot of journalists and film critics gather in a room, discuss for about four hours, vote in various rounds. There is absolutely no political correctness in this. They are just people saying what they like about more and try to convince each other. From this quite democratic process five candidates and one winner will emerge,” Ulfsak explained on “Vikerhommikus”.
Although Ulfsak is a supporter of feature films, he is not saddened that the win went to a documentary film for the second year in a row. “First of all, these documentaries were successful, and secondly, now is the golden age of documentary films. For many years, feature films have been successful, and the best has yet to win,” said Ulfsak, who believes that documentary films have been successful. gave birth to a slightly more peaceful vision. “We used to only make films about domestic things and on our knees, and even though the smoke sauna is a rather domestic thing, this story continues to speak to many people even beyond the border,” Ulfsak thought.
“We have developed a broader dimension of the issue and we have also learned over time to better sell, market, present and showcase these films,” Ulfsak said. But Ulfsak cannot imagine why the “Savvusanna sisters” did not make it into the preselection. “I have no idea because I was pretty sure they were going to get there,” he said.
The number of visitors to the film in Estonia does not affect the award. According to Ulfsak, Anna Hints’ film about the documentary did well in cinemas, but Fred Jüss’s documentary was also very popular. “In general, all kinds of nature films are the ones that are watched, for example, in class or when there are topics that can be integrated into the curriculum. They usually do very well in cinemas,” Ulfsak said.
Two recent feature films, “Dark Paradise” by Triin Ruumet and “Invisible Struggle” by Rainer Sarnet, do not excel in terms of audience numbers. According to Ulfsak, the reason lies in the slightly more artistic approach of the films. “These two are perhaps a little more art house films that are not suitable for all viewers or the most used product. After all, there are films for different audiences and we cannot take for granted that every person will come to see every film. This is why a certain diversity of repertoire is necessary. There is a need for children’s films, sports films, consumer goods and there is a need for something more specific art house a film that has a small audience, but suddenly becomes internationally successful, or that gives the director the opportunity to express his artistic ambitions,” Ulfsak explained.
There are positives and negatives to private money entering the film industry. “On the one hand it is very good. /…/ We have an adequate system. It is seen as a branch of business in which it is worth investing and where the money returns. On the other hand, But it also brings some problems. This market cinema tends to monopolize a bit. The question is to find a balance,” said Ulfsak and added that in the near future there will also be films with state funding, which will probably have quite large audience numbers.
“For example, Erika, speaking of Erika Salumäe, “Erika”, which is Germen Golub’s debut film and which can be assumed to be intended for a wider audience segment, should be filmed soon. Moonika Siimets will also release soon his “Black Hole”. , based on the songs of Andrus Kivirähki and Armin Kõomägi, which belong to the comedy genre,” said Ulfsak.
The drought of the screenwriters does not stand out in too dark tones. “Of course we could use more consultants, editors and screenwriters. I think this will also change over time. /…/ We actually also have something like the Estonian Screenwriters Guild, they have become very active. This maybe There are a lot of concerns , but it’s certainly not the only one, and the picture is certainly not that dramatic,” Ulfsak said.
It makes no sense to expect attendance records and the Palme d’Or from every Estonian film. If you compare the Estonian film industry in the context of Eastern Europe, for example, with similar countries such as the Czech Republic and Lithuania, the situation is good, according to Ulfsak. “Fortunately we also have a minister who has given priority to films and we have obtained more money for film production. Thanks to this we can make perhaps one more feature film a year, and if we make more films there may also be peaks due to more films. We have made so few of them, so each film is expected to be so terribly high that a certain performative pressure develops. I remind you that this is art, and in art there must be the opportunity to experiment, to make mistakes, and only then will there be an opportunity to put it in the top 10,” Ulfsak said.
2024-01-04 11:33:00
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