BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

Children get a taste of Estonian culture

YOUNGSTERS at a junior school in St Neots were in for a treat yesterday morning when an Estonian pop star dropped by to belt out a few numbers.

Singing sensation Hannah - full name Hannah Ild - stopped off at Crosshall Junior School in Eaton Ford as part of a series of visits she is currently making to schools across the country.

The 28-year-old, from Estonian capital Tallinn, is hoping to make her name in the UK after ruling the charts in her homeland for the past decade.

The songstress, who now lives in London, has also teamed up with the Estonian Embassy to promote Estonian culture. Tallinn has been made the European Culture Capital for 2011.

Hannah performed four songs to the children, spoke about Estonia and encouraged them to look after the planet.

She said: "The school was absolutely lovely. All together there were about 480 kids and they were amazing."

Hannah said the youngsters gave her a very warm welcome - and she gave the school a book about Estonia.

'Ajami' awarded prize in Estonia

Movie directed by Yaron Shani and Scandar Copti wins first place at Black Nights Film Festival.

The renowned film "Ajami" tucked another accomplishment under its belt. The debut film of Yaron Shani and Scandar Copti on Friday was awarded the 10,000 euro (about $14,850) first prize in the EurAsia category of the international Black Nights Film Festival held for the 13th year in Tallinn, Estonia.

Ajami beat out 20 other films contending in the competition, including a number of films with which the Israeli picture will face off for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

The judge's pick for Best Director went to Klaus Haro for his film "Letters to Father Jacob," the Finnish Oscar contender.

"Ajami" won the Ofir Prize for Best Film and is the Israeli submission in the Oscar's Best Foreign Language Film category. The film was first debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won Camera d'Or. From there, the film moved on to win the Best Full-Length Feature in the international Jerusalem Film Festival. Some two weeks ago, Copti and Shani's film won first prize at the Thessaloniki Film Festival.

Craftsmanship surging in Estonia

By Liina Lelmi

TALLINN - Estonia is known for its innovativeness and eagerness to adopt and invent new technologies. Yet the old and the traditional has not at all been forgotten. Among the Nordic capitals, only Tallinn and Lubeck have far-reaching roots in the history of marzipan.

The recipe for marzipan was invented in Hanseatic Tallinn by a student at Town Hall Apothecary, which is also known as the oldest apothecary in the world. Since then marzipan (originally Marci Panis) has been produced in Tallinn. When visiting Tallinn, it is suggested to go to one of the two marzipan museums in Tallinn, on Pikk street 16, or Viru street 4, where one can shape all sorts of marzipan figures. These are popular places for celebrating children’s birthdays among the locals. Also, Estonia’s biggest chocolate manufacturer Kalev had its start, in 1806, in Pikk street’s marzipan boutique in the Old Town. Kalev celebrates its 203rd birthday this year.

As for handmade sweets, the selection is wide. Chocolaterie Cafe on Vene street 6 offers a Parisian atmosphere along with handmade chocolates made on site, with almost religious care. It is told that the owner of the chocolaterie, Peeter Reier, learned the “sweet art” from an old master of Brussels, and his truffles are definitely worth tasting.

A new and growing trend in Estonia is to eat chocolate to stay healthy. Healing handmade chocolate bars and truffels are produced by Kolleste Kommimeistrid in the southern Estonian town Polvamaa. There is no magic behind the recipe, but there is science. The handmade chocolate bars contain pollen, propolis, or honey, and are copyrighted by the company as being unique, and are sold in pharmacies. It is known that propolis carries similar healing properties as do weaker antibiotics, able to kill over 100 different viruses. But antibiotics also kill the “good viruses,” while propolis removes the “bad.”

The Estonian argument for English translations

The advantage of English's cultural dominance means that it can provide a means of opening up literary culture across Europe.

The Apollo Solaris bookstore in Tallinn is Estonia's largest bookseller: modern, including a coffee area, and by all appearances much like any good bookshop in the UK or US, with the significant difference that its shelves are filled with books that most of us can never hope to read, because they are written in Estonian. Until someone invents a special pair of translation goggles that will convert every foreign word we look at, English-language readers are stuck on the outside of this particular bookshop experience, left to admire the decor, lounge in the coffee area, but all the while self-conscious and, if you're anything like me, depressed, irkingly aware that these shelves represent an enormous number of intellectual and artistic experiences that you, sad sack, will never have. 

A small contingent from Dalkey Archive Press visited Apollo a few years ago while scouting for Estonian novels to publish, and met with Nele Hendrikson, the product manager at Apollo, who was somewhat surprised to learn that an English-language publisher had come to Estonia for any reason other than vacation. Estonians are proud of their own literary tradition, no doubt, but English-language publishers do not typically come looking for it. They did have a section of the store dedicated to books in foreign languages – including English – but what this section provided was simply something good to read. What it did not and could not provide was access to the enormous number of intellectual and artistic experiences the rest of the store – and, by extension, all of the Estonian culture – has to offer. 

Tallinn to host Eastern Europe film market

New event is part of the Black Nights Film Festival

By Vladimir Kozlov

MOSCOW - A new film market for projects from countries with smaller film industries in Eastern and Northern Europe and Central Asia is to be launched in Tallinn on Nov. 30 as part of the Black Nights Film Festival, one of the main industry events in the Baltic region, which runs through Dec. 6.

Organizers of the event told THR they are going to focus on new films from the neighboring regions and smaller film industries, such as Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Georgia, Russia. Producers from Finland, Norway and Russia are also to take part in the new film market.

"The goal is to enhance audiovisual cooperation on both sides of the Eastern border of European Union and Nordic countries and to give filmmakers visibility and access to the bigger audiovisual markets around the world," the organizers said in a statement.

The film market is to be preceded by the From Books To Films event on Nov. 29, a literary rights market presenting and promoting books from the neighboring regions that have potential for screen adaptation.

Georg Ots: Toronto - 2009-12-01

Eh!U European Film Festival: Meet the Europeans presents: Estonian Film: "Georg" Teisipäeval, 1. detsembril kell 6 p.l./ Tuesday, Dec. 1st at 6pm The Royal Cinema, 608 College (at Clinton), Toronto ON Director: Peeter Simm, With: Marko Matvere, Anastasia Makeyeva, Renars Kaupers, Elle Kull, 2007, 107 minutes

Opera singer Georg Ots' captivating, rich baritone made him a household name throughout the Soviet Union. In this biographical drama, his story is seen through the eyes of his former wife and tells of the singer's stratospheric rise to fame, his turbulent marriages, as well as his dealings with the totalitarian Soviet state. He was forced by mobilization to join the Red Army after the Soviet occupation of Estonia in 1940 and, despite gaining fame in the USSR and Finland, he was denied a chance to perform in the rest of Europe.

For more info on the film festival please follow this link: Eh!U Film Festival
For the film's website, follow this link: Georg Film
Eesti Elu article: Eesti Film Georg

European Union Film Festival in Vancouver presents: "Georg"
Reedel, 4. detsembril - kell 21:30/ Friday, Dec 4th at 9:30pm
Pacific Cinematheque, 1131 Howe St., Vancouver BC

For more information about this film in Vancouver: EU Film Festival BC

Lacy Estonia - Haapsalu shawls

When speaking of Estonia with foreigners, most reactions range from clueless to have heard of it... maybe. However there is a whole group of people from very different countries, USA to Somalia who know exactly what that mysterious Estonia is. Surprisingly to many, they know it through lace. Estonia, specifically the town of Haapsalu, has a long history of lace knitting, Haapsalu shawls being the finest example.

This intricate craft dates back to the early 19th century and is still going strong. With the new internet era, these shawls are being knitted in Asia, Africa, Europe and USA. Without a doubt this goes to show the unique value of the craft. 

 Traditional Haapsalu shawls are made of very thin white wool, usually 1-ply, with 3-4 mm needles. They measure quite long and wide yet the mark of a true traditional shawl is that it should fit through a womans wedding ring. Another characteristic is the edge lace which is knitted separately and then attached to the shawl as opposed to the usual method of knitting everything in one piece. Also many of the main patterns have nupps which are basically bobbles. One shawl can have thousands of small bobbles and still fit through the wedding ring. These shawls have very specific rules of appearance and work techniques.

Hiiumaa military museum

The museum managed by the Hiiumaa Military History Society is located in Tahkuna. The crown jewel of the exposition is the BB-316 cannon barrel from the Tahkuna Kukeraba battery. The museum exposition covers Hiiumaa’s coastal defence structures, armaments, and ammunition. In a barracks atmosphere, visitors can examine surveillance and communications equipment. There is a reconstruction of a border strip in the yard.

The armament collection is still modest. In the diesel house, there is a generator ready to start up. Simple fuel drums also comprise a collection: a riveted drum from the beginning of the last century, from the German Wehrmacht and Finnish Lentojoukut, as well as a Russian armament oil drum.

More

Walking with Dinosaurs

After years of planning, the award-winning BBC TV series, Walking with Dinosaurs comes to life in a stunning theatrical event.

Internationally renowned designers have worked with scientists to create 15 life-size dinosaurs, including the terror of the ancient terrain, Tyrannosaurus-rex! Be amazed and thrilled as the greatest creatures ever to walk the earth return before your eyes. It’s a dazzling 10 million pound arena spectacle of unprecedented size and quality set to captivate young and old alike. Marvel at the story of their 200 million year domination of life on earth. Watch them walk. Hear the roar. Be there as they fight for survival and supremacy. From the ripple of their skin to the glint in their eye, you will know the dinosaurs really have returned!

Disko ja tuumasõda

Dear Friends of Estonian and European Culture,

The American Film Institute (AFI) presents the 22nd annual AFI European Union Film Showcase, a selection of 39 top films from EU member states from November 5-24 at AFI Silver Theater (8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910).

Please visit also AFI website http://www.afi.com/ which will be updated very soon.

Estonian film for this year is DISCO AND ATOMIC WAR (“Disko ja tuumasõda”) which will be screened on Sunday, November 8, at 9:45 PM and on Tuesday, November 10, at 9:00 PM.

DISCO AND ATOMIC WAR 

Estonian filmmaker Jaak Kilmi (REVOLUTION OF PIGS, part of AFI’s 2006 EU Film Showcase) examines the most important factor in how the Communists lost the Cold War: the West’s one-two punch of disco music and Dallas episodes. Western pop culture, banned in countries like Estonia but easily picked up from Finnish broadcasts with the help of homemade antennas, played a major role in winning the hearts and minds of the then-Soviet citizenry for democracy, in textbook “soft power” fashion. Blending wonderful archival footage, academic interviews and deliriously funny recreations (the best being Kilmi’s rural cousin Urve reading his letters full of Dallas updates to a rapt village audience) Kilmi’s eye-opening and entertaining documentary hits just the right tone between the serious and the surreal.

NYYD Festival scores with musical extravaganza

By Ella Karapetyan

TALLINN - Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, likes to bill itself as The Festival City, as there’s always something going on and events spring up all year-round. However, the centerpiece of the cultural calendar is the NYYD Festival, which is a magnet for the very best in the high arts.

International Music Festival ‘NYYD 2009’ offers its guests the opportunity to spend almost five days enjoying different kinds of music and welcomes everybody to be a part of this great music event.
This year the eleventh NYYD Festival will feature a wide variety of music, ranging from jazz and rock to classical music and will concentrate activities on musical theater and multimedia projects. The festival will also feature works by revolutionary German composer, theater-director and musician Heiner Goebbels, who is known for his mixture of styles drawn from sources as varied as classical music, jazz and rock music. He is also among the world’s most prominent authors of contemporary music.

Another highlight of the Fest is the world-renowned Greek composer Georges Aperghis, who works primarily in the field of experimental theater music. He is best known for composing a large amount of non-programmatic chamber music, as well as his theatrical visual effects.

Kids Euro Festival

Dear Friends of Estonian Culture,

Starting yesterday and lasting until November 9, the Kids Euro Festival is bringing 150 free performances, screenings and workshops, each representing a European country, to venues across the Washington DC region. Registration is required for most events. Please see the web site for a full schedule: www.KidsEuroFestival.org.

The festival will feature some of Europe's best artists and is sure to delight parents, children and grandchildren alike.

This year Estonia will be presented by film studio “Puppet Film” (Nukufilm) and “Cinema bus” (Kinobuss). Workshops and seminars will be held for students and educators. There will also be a public performance on Saturday, October 31 starting at 3 PM at the French Cultural Centre, 4101 Reservoir Road, NW, Washington, DC 20007) and best animation films for children will be screened before the performance at 2 PM.

For more information and registration please visit:
http://www.kidseurofestival.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=131
http://www.kidseurofestival.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=87
Best regards

Terje Raadik
Press and Cultural Affairs Attaché
Embassy of the Republic of Estonia
2131 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington DC, 20008

Phone: (202) 588 0101
Fax: (202) 588 0108

Oscar feels 'Heat' from Estonia

LONDON - Helmer Asko Kase's epic "December Heat," about the birth of national independence in Estonia, is that country's entry for consideration in the foreign-language film Oscar category.

Dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Estonia, pic is based on the events of December 1924, when Communist Russia threatened to take over the small Baltic state. The film uses extras drawn from Tallinn's Guards Battalion.

"December Heat" was a box office hit in Estonia, becoming one of the top five films of the past 20 years. It is repped worldwide by Sweden's NonStop Sales.

The closing date for submissions to the foreign-language category is Thursday. Nominations will be announced Feb. 2, and the Academy Awards take place on March 7.

Estonia film fest adds industry market

Tallinn Black Nights to feature 48 regional films up for sale ..

By NICK HOLDSWORTH

Estonia’s Tallinn Black Nights, one of Eastern Europe’s leading winter film festivals, is adding an industry event to this year’s line-up.

Dubbed the Black Market in a tongue-in-cheek reference to the reputation that parts of the old Warsaw Bloc have for movie piracy, the regional cinema and audiovisual market screenings will be a strictly legitimate opportunity for buyers and sellers to make deals at a midway point between larger international events, L.A.’s AFM in early November and Berlin in February.

Devised by festival director Tina Lokk, this year’s Black Market -- which runs Nov. 30-Dec. 3, partially coinciding with established co-production event the Baltic Event -- is being treated as a pilot.

Lokk said the market will feature up to 48 industry screenings mainly focusing on new films from neighboring regions and smaller film industry countries: Central and Eastern Europe, Nordic region, Russia as well as Georgia, Ukraine, Romania, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. The traditional Baltic Event, now organized in cooperation with Black Market Industry Screenings, will show the newest features from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Baltic Black Nights adds market

By NICK HOLDSWORTH

Estonia's Tallinn Black Nights, one of Eastern Europe's leading winter film festivals, is adding an industry event to this year's lineup.

Dubbed the Black Market in a tongue-in-cheek reference to the reputation that parts of the old Warsaw Bloc have for movie piracy, the regional cinema and audiovisual market screenings will be a strictly legitimate opportunity for buyers and sellers to make deals at a midway point between larger international events, L.A.'s AFM in early November and Berlin in February.

Devised by festival director Tina Lokk, this year's Black Market --which runs Nov. 30-Dec. 3, partially coinciding with established co-production event the Baltic Event -- is being treated as a pilot.

Lokk said the market would feature up to 48 industry screenings mainly focusing on new pics from neighboring regions and countries with smaller film industries: Central and Eastern Europe; the Nordic region; Russia; and the likes of Georgia, Ukraine, Romania, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The traditional Baltic Event, now organized in cooperation with Black Market Industry Screenings, will unspool the newest features from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Opera : Premieres and projects

MARKET DAY
September 13, 2009

Artistic director : Arne Mikk

The traditional Market Day will be held on Sunday, September 13 from 12.00–15.00, behind the Estonian National Opera at the historic Market Place. After introducing the new productions of the season, gorgeous costumes will be put up for an auction. The money raised will be donated for expanding the walk of fame of the famous people, who have worked at the Estonian National Opera, on Rävala Avenue. The footprints of the following beloved performers will be added to the walk of fame: Aleksander Arder, Ants Lauter, Rahel Olbrei and Hanno Kompus.

The new prints will be opened at 11 a.m. SEB Tallinn City Marathon takes place on the same day, with the starting point right next to the building of the Estonian National Opera. The orchestra of the Estonian National Opera will get the marathon under way. There are about 1.2 million marathon runners all over the world who, apart from taking part in marathons, are also keen on visiting various cultural events and consciously choose marathons that run through city centres. There will be plenty of music and fun for everybody!

Authentic design masterpieces Estonian way

TALLINN - In order to get to know Estonian national handicraft and get acquainted with different works of art of Estonian craftsmen, one can visit the newly opened design market which is situated on Rotermanni area and is held every Sunday from the beginning of August. The open-air design market also offers various kinds of original design masterpieces or just some creative works including different kind of stylish handmade jewelry, wooden art, pictures, as well as old-fashioned decorations, hand-knit woolen sweaters with traditional Estonian folk patterns, colorful glassware, original art such as graphic prints or fine ceramics and so on.

While visiting the design market one can see a large choice of traditional and classical favorite souvenirs such as carved wooden beer mugs, fun felt hats, juniper coasters and limestone candle holders, which could be an ideal gift for a foreign friend.

The onlookers can admire glassworks, ceramics, leather goods, quilts, mugs with graphic panorama of Tallinn Old Town, handmade medieval theme dolls, tapestries with Tallinn City and Old Town sights, lead-cast figure of Old Thomas and other items which are created right before your eyes.
The only principal of the design market is that all the works should be handmade by Estonian masters.

Back in touch with the Medieval Times

Together with the intellectual and cultural life there has also been lively trading throughout the centuries of which Tartu’s Hanseatic history speaks. Thus for several years the Hanseatic Days have given color to the summer cultural life in Tartu. This year has been no exception, as Tartu returned to its Medieval past on July 17 – 19.

Among those who seven hundred years ago started the Hanseatic League, those who traded goods and different cultures, were our ancestors. The grain grown on the fields here, and the handicrafts made by various masters have long traveled thousands of miles, and in exchange people have received goods and cultures from other countries. The River Emajogi has been measured by hundreds of fully loaded barges, the roads had the dust turned up and down by thousands of hooves and wheels. Tartu has heard discussions and lectures, war cries, secret whispers and songs in very different languages and dialects. 

All this is around us today – see and hear this passage of time when you look at the tower of Jaani Church, hear the bells of the Town Hall, go to the song festival or visit Hanseatic Days Festival.
Regardless of economic boom and bust, people need the cultural entertainment that the Tartu Hanseatic Days have offered for years in the most diverse and best form. Both the people of Tartu and the tens of thousands of visitors who came to Tartu, from near and far, enjoyed the Medieval party. See you in Medieval times next year!

Some like it Soviet !

A number of Soviet-era vehicles have recently turned into objects of art. A selection of cars, bikes and motorcycles from times long gone have been put on display in the Estonian capital Tallinn.

Estonia, where the exhibition opened, is a former Soviet Republic which became independent in 1991, following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Although one may think that the display is aimed only at the elderly who feel nostalgic for the Communist times, it’s not exactly true. The hands-on exhibition gives a rare chance to sit behind the wheel of one-of-a-kind, vintage vehicles.

“We thought that people would like to see something of the kind, that’s how the exhibition came about,” one of the organizers of the open-air event, Estonian actor Tarmo Myannard, told Estonian daily Postimees.

The exhibition is enriched all the time as citizens of Tallinn are welcome to put on public display their means of transport that have survived the test of time.

Beer festival draws huge names

By Ella Karapetyan

TALLINN - This year’s Ollesummer Festival was a wild success. In addition to plenty of local brews and local music, international superstars such as Moby and Mumiy Troll graced the stage at the festival.
Ollesummer is a massive beer festival that took place from July 8-12 in the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds.

The festival provided a huge variety of Estonian and international artists as well as a variety of activities for the whole family. A few of the internationally famous musicians that played at the festival include Moby (U.S.A.), Mumiy Troll (Russia) and Kerli (U.S.A.-Estonia).
The participation of these superstars took the event to a whole new level. Because of these world famous artists, the festival drew significantly more attention, and larger crowds, in comparison with the previous year.

The American singer–songwriter and musician Richard Melville Hall, better known by his stage name Moby, had the opening night of the Ollesummer festival in Tallinn.
“We just finished our Estonian show, and it was really fun. I know, I need to find better adjectives to describe shows. Fun. Great. Awesome. I have the vocabulary of a 12-year-old skater,” Moby said after playing the festival.