The modes come and go, but Estonia always bets on the puppet and the hitchhiking animation.
“It may no longer be the dominant current, but the Estonian stop-motion is still booming, many directors choosing it as their main style. It is taught at the Academy of Estonian Arts at a very high level, so that future generations can also fall in love with technique and preserve it in their art, “explains the rebel frame producer Kadriann Kibus.
The studio – alongside the Academy – recently celebrated the victory of Natalia Mirzoyan at the Cinef de Cannes for “Winter in March”.
“My plan was to come to Estonia to study the animation of puppets, because it has wonderful traditions. I wanted to learn from Anu Laura Tuttelberg [‘Winter in the Rainforest’] and ülo pikkov [‘Body Memory’]”Said the director born in Armenia.
In the film, she talks about Russian emigration following the invasion of Ukraine, combining a documentary and a road film. Although its chosen technique is that of puppet animation mixed with embroidery and fabric manipulation, “the materials are sometimes sewn with precision and sometimes more roughly to underline the meaning of each scene.”
As a minority co -producer, Rebel Frame is also working with the Lithuanian studio Akis Bado on the “Glass Elephant” puppet film.
“One of our studio founders and owners, Sergo Kibus, worked for a decade in Nukufilm before creating our own studio,” said Kadriann Kibus. While Nukufilm works in the technique of stop-motion, the new establishments have also taken the technique, she notes. “There is also a separate niche, a stop-motion cut, which is popular in Estonia.”
“Winter in March”
Rebellious frame
While the country is ready to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Heino Pars, one of the founding fathers of Estonian puppet animation, Nukufilm – established in 1957 – will be 68 years old this winter.
“All this time, we have made different types of hitchhiking films for different audiences – for children and adults,” said producer Kerdi Oengo. Among the winners of the company, “The Master” of Riho Unt was noticed in Annecy and “Dog Apartment” of Prit, was preselected for the Academy Prize last year.
Current films are made in the style of “Classic Puppet [animation]Although the artistic style of each film is very different. »»
“We have just released a film, another will be released later this year, there are three of us in production and two at the development stadium. We can say that the overall animation situation in Estonia is good. Mari Kivi has just finished her debut and Jonas Taul finished her second short film.”
Kivi’s “time to eat” sees a woman literally eating her way over time, triggering a change of time. Taul’s “serious thought” follows a boy who thinks about his place in the universe while he sets. But if the earth is only “small marble floating in space”, is its existence important?
Nukufilm also supervises “The Big Other” by Andresar, “My Friend the Cucumber” by Kalju Kivi and a co -production with Latvia: “Nesting” by Anna Zača. According to Oengo, the industry is necessarily to be seen more and more co -productions due to the sufficient lack of funding from a country.
“The judgment is more expensive compared to computer -made films, and co -production is also more delicate. Since there are real puppets and together, a large part of the film cannot be done online. It is a problem and a fight, to establish a smooth workflow, this includes more trips and more understanding of the financiers. But we try to survive in an unstable world.”
Producer Edina Csüllög agrees: “The emphasis on co -productions would be beneficial.”
The recent films of CSüllög, “The Shadow of Dawn” and “Flow of Being”, the latter combining the stop-motion, the animation of sand, cutting and 2D, have already struck the festival circuit. There is a solid basin of talented animators in Estonia – but not enough opportunities.
“I work with many foreign colleagues who have chosen to stay in Estonia as directors or animation creators, but it is often almost impossible for them to access local funding to complete their projects. It’s a shame, because there are a multitude of talents, and many come from countries where the financing of animation is limited or non -existent. ”
Erik Heinsalu (Grafik) produces a “Uka-Uka” hitchhiking short film, which will be released in 2026, which will mark the beginnings of Henri Veermäe.
“In the animation scene of Estonia, films are often made thanks to the passion and dedication of professional amateurs. However, funding remains limited. This means that we must be very creative throughout the production process, ”he says.
“Uka-Uka” is a dark comedy taking place in the Estonian countryside in the early 2000s.
“This duality of old and new will be reflected in the techniques and materials used in the film – for example, we intend to use old Soviet camera lenses. The main idea is to look at the world through a child’s eyes. To see what we, as adults, could miss. ”
“Animation in Estonia and the balls seems to flourish, but the shorts are” poorer “. It’s not easy to detect [your works] And it’s hard to find money. In the ideal world, it would be easy to finance a new project with the costs of projection of previous work, but we can only dream of it, ”explain Piret Sigus and Silja Saarepuu in a shared declaration. Their indie animation studio cut animailm has also delivered external collaborations.
“We offer a studio space, skillful hands and bright ideas,” they say.
“The Stop-motion love” by Oskar Lehemaa began the whole way to return to childhood, when he saw “the slightly shredded and strange movements of the first” Wallace and Gromit “on television”. As he describes himself as a “newcomer to the world of animation”, Lehemaa co-produced the scandalous comedy “The Old Man Movie”, about a dramatic research of a impartial cow, and “the mystery of missing socks”.
“I love the texture and tangible quality that stop-motion can offer. Of course, you can create almost anything on a computer, including a decent “stop -motion look”, but its real restrictions – real puppets, sets, camera and lights – inform the work. This is part of your art. “
“The Old Man Movie”
Oskar Lehemaa
