Juhan Liiv's Story

On a sunny day in November 1938 a magnificent white schooner set sail from Greenwich Village under the command of the young Estonian captain Ahto Valter. Travelling among several wealthy passengers from the US, Canada and England are also his Scottish-American wife and their 1.5-year-old son Teddy. With a crew of adventurers chosen from 5,000 applicants in the United States, the 70-ton auxiliary ketch Ahto starts a memorable and adventurous voyage around a world, flying the Estonian flag.

An amateur newsreel concerning student life. Auditoriums, rock climbing, university library, dancing and so on

A behind-the-scenes look at the filming of one episode of Nukitsamees (Rahalaul).

The people of Suislepa. A humanist and warm poetic film about a generation, which will not show tiredness or old age in conducting their work. People who find wonder in the everyday, who take care in deepening their relationships with other people or the nature, who see the world as it is and to love it.

Pictures of Estonian village life in the second half of the 20th century. Against the backdrop of the seasons, people in the countryside are working their farms. Mostly these are old people. Villages are becoming empty and old farmhouses are falling apart.

The documentary observes athletes of one the most difficult yet interesting track and field sports – decathlon, the king of all sports, as they say. Slow-motion filming of competing athletes makes it possible to see the details that otherwise would be lost within the dizzy speed. Using the 1000mm lens adds a new unexpected angle while expressing the character of a decathlete, his ability to focus with all his will in order to win.

The speed chess tournament that has taken place once in a month for already 35 years involves well-known people from the field of culture. The game has no other purposes than the game itself. Some hobbies may seem funny for bystanders; however, for the practitioners of a hobby it may be even more serious activity than their main occupation. Work is compulsion, game is freedom. The documentary is a document of cultural history that has recorded well-known people in a situation that is unfamiliar for the public.

About men whose lives and work are motorcycles, racing to the brink of risk. We watch them on the circuit, in a pit box and in workshops together with teammates and mechanics preparing their competition bikes.

Through books and their illustrations, the film provides an overview of the more than 400 year-old history of Estonian-language original and translated literature. The film gives an idea of Estonian publishing activities and book culture in general.

Poetic and heartfelt documentary about a small rural school and the life around it in Vastse-Otepää, Estonia.

Documentary about the renowned Estonian pedagogue and educational reformer Johannes Käis. Made on commission for Estonian Ministry of Education.