The young country is rich with nature, beautiful rural areas, mystical forests – and yet, everything is in close reach. Right next to the majestic nature, are smaller and bigger towns, all with their own historic impact on their design and layout. Take, for example, the capital Tallinn, with its medieval Old Town, a vibrant yet authentic tourist attraction during Estonia’s warm summers, and yet an even more magical ambience during winter-time.
There is a rich contrast of ultra-modern architecture and contemporary Scandinavian vibes on one side, and then on the other side you can find stagnant Soviet block buildings, also known as “commie-blocks”, still in great shape – perfect for a 20th century period piece film. It’s all here, and within easy reach for a zero-hassle shooting opportunity.
To make Estonia more attractive for foreign filmmakers, Estonian Film Institute established a new cash rebate programme, Film Estonia. This functions now, in addition to the regular co-production fund that the Institute has, as an even bigger incentive for filmmakers to come and produce their features on Estonian soil.
Up to as much as 30% of the costs incurred in Estonia can be compensated. Taska Film was the first company to be granted this support with the feature film “Ikitie”.
Taska Film, established in 2000 by Kristian Taska, is a leading Estonian film production company. It is one of the most influential film production companies in Estonia having dominated the top position in all cinema charts regarding box office results and admissions. For a long time, its first feature, the historical epic Names in Marble (2002) was the number one Estonian film in regards to cinema admissions (around 160 000). The position was conquered in 2016 by another Taska Film production – the hit comedy Class Reunion (189 000 admissions), which stayed in the leading spot for a long time.
Taska Film produces feature films ranging from comedies to WWII dramas. The company’s editorial preference has been to period piece movies. Their action war drama 1944 was the Estonian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards in 2015. In 2017, a co-production feature with Finland (MRP Matila Röhr Productions), Estonia (Taska Film) and Sweden (Anagram) named The Eternal Road (“Ikitie”), became the first project supported by the Estonian cash rebate fund Film Estonia.
