On April 14-26, 2023, the Estonian Film Days were held at the Cinemateca Portuguesa in Lisbon. During the film days, several Estonian film classics were shown to the audience. The programme contained feature films “Spring” (dir. Arvo Kruusement), “Madness” (dir. Kaljo Kiisk), “Games for Teenagers” (dir. Leida Laius), “Nipernaadi” (dir. Kaljo Kiisk), “The Dead Mountaineer´s Hotel ” (dir. Grigori Kromanov), “Stolen Meeting” (dir. Leida Laius), ” The Misadventures of the New Satan“ (dir. Grigori Kromanov, Jüri Müür), “The Nest of Winds” (dir. Olav Neuland), “The Postmark from Vienna” (dir. Veljo Käsper), “Werewolf” (dir. Leida Laius). The programme also included the short documentaries “511 best photos of Mars” (dir. Andres Sööt), “Kihnu man” (dir. Mark Soosaar), “Pikk Street” (dir. Hans Roosipuu), “Home Village” (dir. Peeter Tooming, Peep Puks), “Ruhnu” (dir. Andres Sööt).
Additionally, there was a children’s programme with the film “Lotte and the Lost Dragons” (dir. Janno Põldma, Heiki Ernits) and Nukufilm short films.
During the opening weekend of the event, Eva Näripea, Director of the Estonian Film Archive, was also present in Lisbon. Eva Näripea made introductions to several screenings and held a public lecture about the Estonian film industry in the past and the film heritage of that time.
The Estonian Film days in Lisbon took place for the first time and reached viewers thanks to the cooperation of the Portuguese Cinemateca, the Estonian Film Institute and the Estonian Embassy in Lisbon. The films were screened with Portuguese subtitles. In the future, we hope to bring a program introducing contemporary Estonian films to the Lisbon audience.
Photography: Alípio Padilha
