Besides its own possibilities Estonia can be seen as a gateway for Nordic film crews to other markets, such as Russia and other countries in the former Soviet Union. A further possibility is to use the advantages of shooting films in Estonia when Nordic countries co-produce films with production companies from Asia.
In addition, in 2013 the first regional Estonian film fund – Viru Filmifond – was established in the eastern Estonian region of Virumaa with the objective of encouraging international crews to shoot their films there.
Kai Nordberg and Camilla O'Connor from the Finnish company Making Movies OY shared their filming experiences in Estonia. The film industry as such needs a lot of resources and when filming in a country as small as Estonia one should bear in mind the potentially limited resources of equipment and skilled workers. On the other hand, Nordberg and O'Connor acknowledged the efforts of the Tallinn University Baltic Film and Media School in educating future film professionals and the flexibility of the local crew. Despite the fact that filming isn't necessarily more budget-friendly in Estonia, Nordberg and O'Connor are planning to shoot a new film in the country early next year.
Continue reading on the Nordic Look website! Click here to view presentations from the event and here to see the pictures.