BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

Midsummer magic in Tallinn

TALLINN - June in Estonia is famous for long days and short nights. It’s warm and sunny - the ideal time to be outdoors. Restaurants and cafes have already opened their summer terraces. Tallinn hosts an abundance of live music and theater performances in its parks, squares and outdoor venues. And be prepared because there’s magic in the air: it is time to celebrate Midsummer Day when your most secret wishes may come true.

Tallinn’s Midsummer festivities kick off on June 5 with Tallinn Treff Festival (June 5 - 8). The Treff Festival is an international visual theater festival with the goal of introducing and popularizing modern puppet arts and introducing audiences to new art forms. This year will feature top performers in puppet, visual, and object theater from Finland, Russia, France, Italy, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Spain, Estonia and Slovenia. The festival will offer separate programs for adults and children.

SuperRally 2014, which will be held on June 6 – 9, brings more than 10,000 Harley-Davidson fans to Estonia. The Estonian Harley-Davidson Club will organize the 40th SuperRally in Tallinn, which is the largest annual get-together for Harley-Davidson and motorcycle enthusiasts in Europe. The event takes place in the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds.
By invitation of the city of Tallinn, the Harley-Davidson federation and the Estonian Harley-Davidson club, Bill Davidson, representative of the fourth generation of Harley-Davidson founders and vice president of Harley-Davidson Motor Inc. Museum, will visit Tallinn for the grand opening of the event on June 6.

“[I am] looking forward to attending the Super Rally in Estonia. I’m sure it’s going to be an awesome time. Just like past events I’ve attended, like the Presidents meeting in Feldkirch, Austria; the Super Rally in Paris and the Super Rally in Sweden. They were all a great time with experiences of the rides, unbelievable scenery, and meeting great people. What a fun time and I look forward to this in Estonia. Thanks for riding the best motorcycles in the world, Harley- Davidson! Can’t wait to see all of you in Estonia!,” Bill Davidson said, commenting on his upcoming visit.

Tallinn Car Museum opens for visitors

The collection of Tallinn Car Museum boasts 40 vehicles, ranging from Soviet manufactured cars to reputable international models, and which are now exhibited for all viewers, Tallinn Tourism Board said in a statement, reports LETA.

The display features such classics as Rambler, Packard One-Eighty, Mercedes-Benz 300 W112 and many others. The museum visitors get to learn about the history of these exhibits with the oldest car on display dating back as far as 1931. The museum also includes a conservation workshop and an area where visitors can browse and purchase miniature model cars.

The museum is open from May 1 until September 30, and if the weather holds, the doors will be open until the end of October. Located near Tallinn Zoo, the museum is accessible by multiple public transport routes.

Shakespeare’s Hamlet onstage in Tallinn

The Globe theater in London, which is on a worldwide tour, will perform William Shakespeare's “Hamlet” in Tallinn City Theater on May 16, and in Tartu, in the grand building of the Vanemuine theater, on May 17, the Tallinn Tourism board said, reports LETA.

450 years will have passed from the birth of the most legendary playwright of our culture on April 23, 2014. As a celebration, the Globe theater in London has taken on an extraordinary task – to stage “Hamlet” and perform it in every country in the world. Performances will be given to 205 different nationalities.

Shakespeare's play has been made into a dynamic performance, which the theater group is able to perform everywhere, from grand theater buildings to small village squares. The original Globe theater was built in 1599 and reconstructed in 1997, when the new round building opened its door to the public, maintaining a look and feel as close as possible to the original theater.

The producers pay close attention to staying true to Shakespeare’s era – the performances are held in daylight, music is made by acoustic instruments and authenticity is also preserved in regard to the costumes and the staging of plays.

The Globe’s interpretation of “Hamlet” allows the viewer to travel back in time and experience a performance the same way people did at the beginning of the 17th century. It also grants the audience an opportunity to see a play performed in Shakespearean English.

Song and Dance Celebration to take place in Estonia

Various music events are planned in Tallinn in 2014, the Tallinn Tourism organization said in a statement. The unbeatable highlight of this year is most definitely the quinquennial Song and Dance Celebration celebrating its 26th subsequent event, informs LETA.

The tradition itself, however, is a long-standing one, dating back as far as 1869. This massive folk gathering has played an important role in the formation of Estonian national identity throughout the centuries. The three day festival will see thousands of local singers dressed in traditional garments performing local choral compositions. Every festival also hosts many international choirs from all over the world.

The festival will take place on July 4-6, 2014.

Tallinn is also the home of many internationally recognized classical musicians, with the local composer Arvo Pärt nominated for the best contemporary classical composition at this year's Grammy Awards. Pärt's work is much loved in Hollywood, with his Fratres for Cello and Piano playing a major role in Paul Thomas Anderson's film There Will Be Blood. Recently, the British classical music database Bachtrack announced that Pärt was the top living classical composer whose music is performed most frequently around the world.

Estonia appoints new culture minister

Former news anchor Urve Tiidus has been appointed Estonias culture minister, Postimees Online reports

Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves welcomed the announcement and said having a female minister in the post was important. 

President Ilves said: "It isn’t easy to come to the government in the current situation but having known you over 20 years, Urve, I am certain that you will cope well in this job."

The appointment comes after former culture Rein Lang was caught up in a scandal involving the Sirp newspaper. Critics said Lang had interfered with the newspapers administration. Lang has denied the claims but stepped down after he said it would not be impossible to carry on the role following the claims. 

Tiidus, 59, A Tartu University graduate, has worked for many years as a news anchor and editor for Estonia's national television ETV and the private Kanal2. In 2005-2011 she was the mayor of Kuressaare, capital of Saaremaa island. She is a Reform Party member since 1998.

Estonian culture minister Rein Lang submitted on Monday resignation to prime minister Andrus Ansip. Lang said in his resignation speech at the parliament that is resigning because it has become impossible for him to participate in the communication sphere of the Estonian society as a minister.

The Great Beauty wins Tallinn's EurAsia Grand Prix

Sorrentino’s Cannes hit wins at Tallinn’s Black Nights Film Festival.

Paolo Sorrentino’s The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza) was awarded the $13,500 (€10,000) EurAsia Grand Prix in the main international competition of this year’s Black Nights Film Festival (Nov 15-Dec 1) in Tallinn.

Italy’s Oscar entry also received the Best Cinematographer award for Luca Bigazzi’s camerawork which the international jury described as being “musically dynamic”.

The jury, which included The White Ribbon’s DoP Christian Berger, Armenian director Harutan Khacahtryan and German actress Franziska Petri, gave its Best Director award to the Japanese director Koji Fukada for Au revoir l’été for its “sensitively observed scenes”.

The Best Acting awards went to Russian actor Maksim Sukhanov for his performance in Konstantin Lopushansky’s The Role and to Juliette Binoche for her role in Camille Claudel 1915.

Tallinn launches various festivals

The capital of Estonia opens the season of festivals and various cultural events, aimed at enlightening and enriching cultural lifes of inhabitants and residents of Estonia in November month, LETA/Tallinn.ee reports.

The festive season in Tallinn is approaching fast and soon the city’s dark nights will be filled with art, music and film.

November nights brings various musical, film and art events. Black Nights Film Festival (15/11-01/12) – weeks full of film, industry panels and awards, this is Estonia’s and also one of Europe’s biggest film festival held right here in Tallinn.

Christmas Jazz (28/11-15/12) – the Baltic's biggest jazz festival Jazzkaar are relentless and always up for bringing something new and interesting to the stage year-round.

Titanic – The Artifact Exhibition (15/11-31/03/2014), bringing the vibe of one the greatest ships ever built with excursions and gala dinners in this massive display at Tallinn Seaplane Harbor. Christmas Market at Town Hall Square (22/11-08/01/2014) – an absolute must-see in the wintry Tallinn, where everything from handicraft to mulled wine is sold. St. Martin's Day Fair has taken place on November 7 – November 10, one of the most extensive handicraft and folk event of the year where Estonia’s top craftsmen will be presenting their work. Tallinn Light Biennale (24/11-01/12) will exhibit numerous exhibitions and workshops illuminate the late November atmosphere in Tallinn.

Dimitri's Egoist closes

Egoist, a Tallinn restaurant led by top chef Dimitri Demjanov, is closing its doors.

The restaurant drew attention to Estonia at the acclaimed Bocuse d'Or competition. On the restaurant's website, Demjanov writes that Egoist's mission has ended, but that he would be willing to open a new location.

"During 15 intense years we have contributed to the development and recognition of Estonian gastronomy within and beyond our borders. Two candidates at the renowned haute cuisine contest, the Bocuse d'Or, achieving 14th and 15th place in the highly competitive challenge among 65 participating countries, have come from our kitchen," said Demjanov.

Demjanov is known as one of the leading adapters of New Nordic culinary philosophies in Estonia and is the cuisinier of Gloria Restaurant.

Peacock flies from Tokyo to Tallinn

The 1st Tallinn Black Nights Japan-Estonia Partnership Award was presented to KAWAGUCHI Hirofumi's Where the Peacocks Fly at the close of TIFFCOM Co-Pro Connection this afternoon.

The award, initiated by Sten SALUVEER, industry director of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, goes to one of the five Japanese projects presented at TIFFCOM this week deemed to have the most potential as a European co-production.

Saluveer, told Film Business Asia that the winning project was chosen because the film-makers always had a European aesthetic in mind, including the hiring of a European DoP. The film's producer, KIMURA Misa will be invited to meet European investors in Tallinn next month.

Peacocks, a co-production between Japan and Myanmar, is about a 17-year-old cosplay idol who sets out to prove the innocence of the Burmese refugee blamed for killing her sister. She emails her fans to join her on a trip to Myanmar, transforming into a "Fighting Peacock" of justice.

Before presenting the award, Saluveer introduced his festival, noting that 40% of the films are from Asia, and popular with their audience. He said that the festival had been exploring how to work more closely with Asian producers for some time but only now has financial support from its government.

A Lady in Paris (Une Estonienne à Paris)

Director: Ilmar Raag
Cast: Jeanne Moreau, Laine Mägi, Patrick Pineau
Country: France | Belgium | Estonia
Language: French | Estonian  (English subtitles)
Genre: Drama | Romance
Running time: 1hr 40min

Anne leaves Estonia to come to Paris and care for Frida, an elderly Estonian lady who emigrated to France long ago. Anne soon realizes that she is not wanted. All Frida wants from life is the attention of Stephane, her younger lover from years ago. Stephane, however, is desperate for Anne to stay and look after Frida, even against the old lady's will. In this conflict of strangers, Anne finds her own way.

For more information please call the box office during business hours Monday to Friday 9am-4.30pm on 5475 7777

Estonian National Opera celebrates 100 years

TALLINN - Between Sept. 6 and Sept. 20, the Estonian National Opera House is celebrating its centenary with a festive program of events, reports Tourism Tallinn. Retaining its architectural monumentality in the contemporary cityscape, the neoclassical theater building designed by Finnish architects Armas Lindgren and Wivi Lonn was the largest building in early 20th century Tallinn. The building has also played an important role in the history of Estonia.

The celebrations kick off on Sept. 6 with the Historic Anniversary Gala ‘Once Upon a Time in a Hundred Years…’ that will dive into the building’s grand history, featuring Estonian National Opera soloists, choir, orchestra, boys’ choir and the Estonian National Ballet.

The world premiere of ‘Butterfly,’ a dream-like opera, merging life, theater and a fairy tale by acclaimed Estonian composer Tonu Korvits, will take to the stage on Sept. 13.

The two-week program includes concerts, exhibitions, open rehearsals, traditional music, ballet, cinema and a market, featuring many free events.

Open Air museum seeks to make eterniit eternal

The Estonian Open Air Museum is associated more with thatched roofs and log huts, but also plans to build a kolkhoz-style apartment building to represent the Soviet era. To fill the space in the interim, the museum announced a competition for a monument to a classic Soviet-era construction material - an asbestos cement roofing panel known as eterniit.

"For over half a century our buildings have been covered and protected by the 'ugly' material called 'eterniit.' Now a common sight, easy to install, available, durable and blending in with the landscape, the grey corrugated panel has kept thousands of buildings from decay," said Estonian Open Air Museum research director Heiki Pärdi.

"The competition is open to all who have imaginative ideas, basic drafting skills and feel that the topic speaks to them," the museum said in a statement "The monument should be easy to build, easy to relocate and if possible, embody a recycling ethos."

The monument can be made of any material, but should be able to withstand the elements. The sample measurements are 2 m x 2 m. The deadline is September 1. Winners will be asked to produce scale models for display at Telliskivi Creative Hub on September 20-22. The grand prize is 200 euros.

The roofing panel used in Estonia and other parts of the former Soviet Union is non-friable, meaning the asbestos fibers are safely encased in cement and don't become airborne in normal handling. The specific type of asbestos fiber is also not the most dangerous of the varieties. But eterniit is still considered a hazardous material, subject to being disposed of at the relevant sites.

tARTuFF Love Film Festival around the corner

The tARTuFF love film festival will take place for the eighth year in Tartu from August 5-10, with opening day boasting the largest outdoor movie watching experience in the Baltics, as the old town square is turned into a 1,500-seat venue with a 22-meter screen.There are plenty of box-office hits, documentaries and classics in the program, as well as poetry sessions, movie-making workshops for children, and concerts held in cooperation with Tartu Music Week.

The festival will kick off with Hungarian producer György Pálfi's "Final cut: Ladies and Gentlemen," a nod to the most romantic moments of movie history, combining over 500 films. Recent releases will include "Prince Avalanche," selected for the best director award at the Berlin Film Festival. It's an American comedy loosely based on Iceland's "Either Way.“

And the Polish drama "In The Name Of,“ also screened at the Berlin festival, will be shown with an introduction by lead actor Andrzej Chyra. Tartu viewers will have a chance to watch "Mood Indigo“ before its official premiere. The French romantic tragicomedy was selected as the opening film of the reputable Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and features Audrey Tautou.

"Quartet“ by Dustin Hoffman and "For Love's Sake" by Takashi Miike are also in the program. The classics will include "The Fly“ (1986) by Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg and "Saturday Night Fever“ (1977), a dance film starring John Travolta and featuring music from the Bee Gees.

The Estonian-made part of the program has the new documentary "To Breathe As One,“ which looks at Estonian choir tradition through the American perspective, and Moonika Siimetsa's witty musical "Last Romeo," deemed best student film of the year. Documentaries include "Searching for Sugar Man," "Gainsbourg by Gainsbourg: An Intimate Self Portrait,“ and "Woodstock in Timbuktu.“

European parliament perpetuates Baltic way

Almost 25 years after the Baltic Way, also called the “Singing revolution”, took place in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, it is commemorated at the European Parliament in Brussels. Let's take a look.

Full Story:
The Baltic Way was the biggest protest in the Soviet Union.

Two-million people created a 600-kilometer-long human chain spanning three Baltic countries, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, on August 23, 1989. They joined hands and sang together to demand independence from the Soviets. It marked the 50th anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, which divided Europe and led to the occupation of the Baltic States.

Imax secures first Baltic region theater deal in Europe

Private equity player Saturn Investments will install a giant screen in the historic Kosmos Cinema in Tallinn, Estonia.

TORONTO - Imax has its first Baltic-region theater after private equity investor Saturn Investments inked a deal to install a large-format screen in the historic Kosmos Cinema in Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia.

The agreement was unveiled by former Paramount Pictures International exec Andrew Cripps, who joined the giant screen exhibitor last year as president, Imax EMEA, to grow its global network.

“Today’s agreement is part of our broader expansion strategy in Europe to seed untapped markets and set the stage for further growth,” Cripps said in a statement Tuesday.

Tatyana Tolstaya, president of Saturn Investments, said the Imax screen would anchor the Kosmos Cinema as her group looked to “re-invigorate” the moviegoing experience in Estonia.

Tallinn Music Week 2013 - Live in Tallinn

Tallinn is a sweet, gentile town on the outskirts of Europe. It's far enough removed from Western Europe that is has avoided a great deal of terrible Occidental architecture and between the old town and the old Soviet warehouses has enough going on to drown out the occasional billboard. And when Sunday comes it is perfectly serene.

In a restaurant drinking Georgian wine - no, me neither, but it's good - a group of bald fat men in puffer jackets walk in. The type you only really see at Europa League matches walk in. Big thick eyebrows, skinheads with little man bag – but instead of football chants its Georgian folk and a male voice choir. So when one sits down next to me I ask if he knows who he's just performed to.

He doesn't and I point to Peter Jenner Pink Floyd's manager who's sitting across the room. That the man has seen every Floyd show and has just applauded my new friend. "Oh, I love Pink Floyd, they're my favourite band." The singing continues and Mari Kalkun who's sat opposite encourages some oratory folk songs. And the men, who are not naturally music-minded, slowly join in. It's a moment of pure, easy music where the synthetics of a conference are lost in the snowstorm outside.

Eesti Laul : 5 more acts proceed to the final - line up completed

The 2nd semi-final of Eesti Laul 2013, the Estonian Song Contest, has been concluded and 5 more acts have qualified for the grand final that will take place on 2 March, in Nokia Concert Hall in Tallinn, raising the finalists up to 10.

These are the  last 5 finalists, watch the performances by clicking on the title:

• Liisi Koikson & Söörömöö - Üle vee
• Birgit Õigemeel - Et uus saaks alguse
• Rasmus Rändvee & Facelift Deer - Dance
• Rolf Roosalu - With U
• Põhja-Tallinn - Meil on aega veel

You can listen to the songs and also read the lyrics here.

You can check out all about the 1st Estonian semi-final here.

The grand final of Eesti Laul 2013, will take place next Saturday, 2 March.

Estonia debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994 and won the contest once in 2001 with the song Everybody by Tanel Padar and Dave Benton.

Stay tuned with esctoday.com to know all about this year's Estonian Song Contest grand final.

Five acts through to final in Estonia

"Varied" is a good word to describe tonights Semi-Final of the Estonian national selection, Eesti Laul 2013. Most genres were represented in what was a very well-produced show by broadcaster ERR. Of the 10 great songs in tonight's show, only five qualified to the final. These were: Grete Paia, Kõrsikud, Teele & Tuuli & Ula, Winny Puhh and Elina Born.

The result was formed by a combined jury and televote, where 17,000 votes were received from the Estonian public.

Image gallery: Eesti Laul 2013: First Semi-Final Check out the Full gallery

The acts

How Estonia preserved its culture

Recently, my wife, Allyson, and I landed in Estonia, a tiny, little-known nation tucked away in the northeast corner of Europe just south of Finland. Although my parents were Estonian, I had never visited before. Now, I was seeking my roots. For the first day we walked in Tallinn’s Old Town, captivated by one of Europe’s most beautiful capitals with church spires, thick battlements, towers and narrow cobblestone streets. I was thrilled to hear the Estonian language and see signs in Estonian.

Old Town is known for its well-preserved and authentic Hanseatic architecture.

The next day, a relative pointed to a stately Gothic house. “That was the former KGB headquarters,” she said. “This street was the most feared place in the city.” It was a reminder that most of Estonia’s history has been spent under the heel of invaders.

Estonia has a Nordic culture and its language is similar to Finnish. Estonians are educated and enjoy music, literature, and nature. But with a small population (about 1.3 million) situated in a much-coveted location, the country has seen many battles and conquests. The ruins of castles and fortresses are everywhere. Until 1991, the nation enjoyed freedom only between 1920 and 1940.

Ilves-Krugman spat to be turned into ‘Financial Opera’

Last year’s public spat between Estonia’s President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and economist Paul Krugman will be transformed into a short operatic work based on the disagreement on fiscal issues between the two men.

In a blog in June 2012, Mr. Krugman questioned the assertion Estonia was booming and described the country as “a poster child for austerity defenders,” which hadn’t fully recovered from the global financial crisis. The post got a fierce response from Mr. Ilves, who posted angrily on Twitter in defense of Estonia, which enjoyed a budget surplus.

Among others, he said: “Let’s write about something we know nothing about & be smug, overbearing & patronizing.” One tweet included a profanity to say people could get away with insulting “East Europeans,” whose “English is bad” and who “won’t respond and actually do what they’ve agreed to and reelect governments that are responsible.”

Composer Eugene Birman and journalist Scott Diel found inspiration in the quarrel. The operating work they’re creating will be titled “Nostra Culpa,” Latin for “Our fault”, which Mr. Ilves used in an ironic admission to being one of “dumb and silly East Europeans.”