As Festival Director Tina Lokk wrote in an introduction to the section in the Festival Catalogue, “the recession – the masu as we call it in Estonia – can certainly be felt in terms of the number and artistic quality of the films participating in the programme. Selecting films from Latvia and Lithuania, which have been hit harder, was a complicated task. No doubt it will be even harder next year, as there simply is not enough money for making films. Yet the programme does include two films from Lithuania, one from Latvia and a record six films from Estonia.”
The films offer a range of genres and filmmaking styles, with feature debuts by a new generation of young filmmakers. While they are all quite different, their unifying thread is how political, social and economic turmoil affects the inner lives of their protagonists and their relationships with friends, family and communities. Some of the atmosphere is dark indeed but in the hopes that the future will bring new opportunities and pathways, the films are not afraid of presenting a glimmer of hope amidst the doom and gloom.
For more detailed information, please visit: http://2009.poff.ee/eng/films/programs/tridens_baltic_feature_film_competition