The 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF), held from June 28th through July 6th, had two wins in store for Estonian films: with the world premiere at KVIFF, the documentary feature Immortal by Ksenija Okhapkina won the Grand Prix for the best documentary, and feature film Scandinavian Silence by Martti Helde won Europa Cinemas Label prize.
Immortal explores how citizens, whose utmost goal is to give their lives for their Fatherland and thus achieving immortality, are ‘bred’ in today’s Russia.
„It’s a film about people influenced by propaganda,“ Okhapina said. „After making the film, I, too, understand better what is going on in Russia, why people support the government and the political system that acts against them and their children.“
Immortal is the second collaboration between the Russian director Ksenija Okhapina and Estonian producer Riho Västrik. The film was produced by Vesilind OÜ in collaboration with Latvian film studio VFS Films.
Martti Helde’s black-and-white feature Scandinavian Silence won Europa Cinemas Label prize which is awarded only at Berlin, Venice Locarno, Cannes and Karlovy Vary film festivals. The prize was established in order to promote the reach and distribution of the awarded films.
„I’m particularly pleased because of Scandinavian Silence began its journey on festivals with such a high accolade. Europa Cinemas Label award is a hallmark that will help our film to travel and reach to considerably wider audiences. This is important for both the film itself but also for Estonian film in general,“ Helde said.
The film’s producer is Elina Litvinova from the film studio Three Brothers. The film is produced in collaboration with French and Belgian boutique distributors.
Listed as one of the category A film festivals, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is one of the most prominent film events in Europe.
Additional information about the festival:
Additional information about the films:
Immortal – www.immortal.ee
Film’s trailer: https://vimeo.com/289813140
Scandinavian Silence – https://www.facebook.com/scandinaviansilence/
Film’s trailer: https://vimeo.com/314322683
Additional information:
Aurelia Aasa
Estonian Film Institute
International Distribution Coordinator
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