"I feel amazing, it's an unexpected development for my film. It has made a very good festival run, but somehow the Oscar has always been such an American thing for me so I'm confused, what's happening? Why is this dark, surreal East-European film shortlisted? So many questions... I think it's actually amazing, and am very happy that even another Estonian film, Eeva by Lucija Mrzljak and Morten Tsinakov, is shortlisted. Not bad for a small country, perhaps it gives inspiration to other countries to support independent animation", Priit Tender told FNE.

This classical puppet animation follows ballet dancer Sergei, who has been deported to a suburban kolhoz, where he is fighting his mundane fights against routine, domestic animals and alcohol.

The film was produced by the Estonian company Nukufilm, which has made over 200 films within the past 60 years.

Dog-Apartment has been awarded at the London International Animation Festival, TOFUZI International Animated Film Festival, Tampere Film Festival, SHORT Animated Film Festival Karlsruhe, Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film, IMAXINARIA Film Festival Galicia, Festival du film d`Animation Pour La Jeunesse Bourg enBresse, among others.

Priit Tender’s films, for which he serves as a director, animator, designer and writer, are usually driven by surreal imagery, black humour and dark existential journeys. Since 2019, Tender is heading the animation department of the Estonian Academy of Arts.