“The ball is in your court, Estonia,” said Conan O’Brien during the Oscars after Latvia won its own statuette for “Flow”. Now, a new wave of Estonian directors is coming to stake their claim.
“With many debut features set to premiere in 2026, it feels like a generational shift,” says Sigrid Saag of the Estonian Film Institute. “Their stories focus more on youth, which the previous generations used to ignore, I think.”
That includes “Morten” by Ivan Pavljutškov, following an introverted 15-year-old who lives with his unemployed uncle while his mother works abroad.
“The new generation of Estonian directors is marked by a more radical and self-assured cinematic vision. Many are eager to take risks, experiment with form and genre and move beyond conventional storytelling,” notes Pavljutškov.
“There will be more stories engaging with contemporary Estonian realities, approached with a fresh perspective and a distinctly modern sensibility. I’m especially glad there’s a growing openness to stories reflecting the experiences of Russian-Estonians and other perspectives that have been underrepresented in national cinema.”
At the same time, upcoming filmmakers are “strongly committed” to artistic integrity, seeking “alternative production paths when traditional funding structures do not fully support their ideas.”
Ivar Murd also focuses on younger protagonists in “Mommy’s Boy” [previously “Sissy”] about a child of an alcoholic single mother.
“Estonian authors have really started to find their voice. It used to be more usual for Estonian mainstream films to imitate Hollywood in terms of both look and feel, but our new films are really unique,” he observes.
“Auteur cinema has really started to blossom. There’s a great blend in our storytelling that reflects where we are, both geographically and historically. We’re coming out of our shell.”
Murd argues that such newfound confidence is evident in Anna Hint’s Sundance hit “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood”– “a great feminist picture able to compress something very Estonian and use it to introduce us to the wider world” – or Rainer Sarnet’s “The Invisible Fight” combining kung-fu and Eastern Orthodox monks.
“These are stylish films that understand if something is important to the author, it has a real chance of being important to the audience, both at home and abroad. You can’t fake a heart, and we have it.”
As previously reported by Variety, Hints is already working on body horror musical “Black Hairy Beast” described as “A love story. With claws.”
“Our biggest challenge is achieving financial stability and securing social benefits like health insurance. Protecting authors’ rights and safeguarding author-driven cinema remains essential, so that we can continue to talk about Estonian cinema in future. Estonia is small, but it holds an extraordinary amount of talent. The key question is how to nurture and protect that talent over time,” she emphasizes.
Oskar Lehemaa, behind “The Old Man Movie,” is developing “Birth”: a body horror in which a couple travels deep into the Estonian forest to attend a fertility retreat, which turns into an occult nightmare.
“The film explores the fear of parenthood, bodily autonomy, and the power balance within intimate relationships. I’m also looking forward to creating the gnarliest pregnancy horror scenes ever,” he teases.
New filmmakers reflect “the concerns of the current zeitgeist in a way previous generations just couldn’t,” says Lehemaa. Examples include Tõnis Pill’s youth drama “Fränk,” taking a look at the early 2000s, and Meel Paliale’s “Rolling Papers” about twentysomethings in Tallinn. It was Estonia’s Oscar submission.
“We’ll see more of these personal reflections on both the past and present, alongside a growing interest in genre fusion combining elements of musicals, horror, martial arts films and more,” he adds.
His producer, Evelin Penttilä, argues: “I see much more playfulness with genre in the films we are currently working on. What excites me is that each of these films is very distinct in tone and ambition. Combined with strong personal voices, it’s something international audiences can increasingly expect from Estonia: films that are bold, surprising, and confident in finding their own audience.”
“I think we all want to avoid being boring or mediocre.”
According to Tõnis Pill, filmmakers – and audiences – are growing weary of psychological realism and looking for new approaches. And for more hope.
“Our young directors generally avoid stories with darker themes and ending movies on a hopeless note. I’m not saying we should only make happy-go-lucky films, but the current worldwide political situation demands some form of tension relief from authors.”
Shorts are also leading the way: at Berlinale, Joonas Taul will present animated short “A Serious Thought,” produced by the legendary Nukufilm Studio.
“In the age of TikTok and attention spans measured in minutes, audiences are searching for stories that can immediately capture their focus and emotional engagement. Today’s trends are set by youth, and our youth watches short formats,” says Edith Sepp, CEO of the Estonian Film Foundation.
Janno Jürgens’ psychological thriller “No Me Without You” highlights how new filmmakers are “boldly exploring fresh angles and storytelling methods,” notes producer Marju Lepp.
“There is no single, unified direction or overarching trend – and that’s precisely what makes the current moment so exciting. This diversity is a strength and genuinely enriches the Estonian film landscape.”
Jürgens wonders: “I have the sense that there is more courage to simply be ourselves: to focus on our own stories, our own way of being and our uniqueness. At least, I hope that is the case.”
“Estonian indie cinema is on the rise, with arthouse films made without public taxpayer funding, and filmmakers pushing back against restrictions on creative freedom and rigid rules to ensure a diverse and distinctive cinematic landscape.”
Laura Raud, producing Elizabeth Kužovnik’s “Bicycle Thief” for Nafta Films, agrees that the visual language and storytelling have become “more eclectic and less uniform.” The growing diversity among new directors entering the Estonian film landscape is also evident.
“Films are being developed and produced by people who don’t fit the traditional or stereotypical image of a ‘director.’ This shift has also been supported by welcome changes in funding practices, which have created more space for emerging voices.”
“Bicycle Thief” follows Sigrit, a 10-year-old girl living in a small town. She receives a new bicycle for her birthday, only for it to be stolen the next day.
Raud notes: “For a long time, certain audiences – especially women, children, and young adults – were underrepresented as central points of address in Estonian cinema, despite making up a large part of the filmmaking community and audience. This has begun to change in a meaningful way.”
With German Golub’s debut “Our Erika,” Liina Triškina-Vanhatalo’s “The First Love” and Jaanika Arum’s “Beyond the Visible Flowers” also looming on the horizon, “much can be expected from the new generation of Estonian filmmakers in the coming years,” says Maria Ulfsak, Feature Film Commissioner at the Estonian Film Institute.
“And there will be blood: Mikk Mägi’s debut historical epic, ‘Godkiller,’ will hopefully entertain audiences both at home and abroad.”
The ball is in your court, Estonia.
Joonas Taul’s ‘A Serious Thought’
© Ragnar Neljandi