The Estonian Film Fund eventually awarded it a grant of 200,000 EUR, but not before serious discussions about supporting a film about an amoral nonentity who anoints himself the arbiter (in his own words) determining which people are a drain on society and should die. The film, which was shot in English, is amply helped by the performance of Lee Ingleby in the title role, convincing in his transformation from promising youth to psychotic murderer.

Kõusaar is a best-selling novelist in Estonia, as well as a director and screenwriter. Her debut film Magnus was selected for Un Certain Regard in Cannes.
The Arbiter is an Estonian/Swedish coproduction produced by Estonia’s Meteoriit Film and coproduced by Anagram Produktion and UK’s F&ME. The film was shot in 2012 in England. Swedish/Finnish sales company The Yellow Affair is handling world sales.

Contact
Meteoriit Film
A. Kapi 5-17
Tallinn 10136, Estonia
www.thearbiter.eu

Credits
Director/screenplay: Kadri Kõusaar
DoP: Jean-Noel Mustonen
Editor: Tambet Tasuja
Producer: Aet Laigu
Cast: Lee Ingleby, Lina Leandersson, Andrea Lowe, Sofia Berg-Bohm, Tony Aitken