EstDocs, the Estonian documentary film festival in Toronto is very popular and over the past few years has become one of the largest cultural events outside of Estonia. Since 2005, Estonian documentary films have been shown not only to the Estonian community, but also to Canada’s English speaking public.
Estonian films can be seen at various Toronto international film festivals. This does not happen very often however. During the last 100 years Estonians have produced many noteworthy films. The Tartu College Film Association made these films available to the Canadian public at the beginning of 2013 with regular screenings.
In January and February at the Tartu College auditorium, some favourite Estonian films were screened. Oscar Luts’ films “Kevade” (Spring), “Suvi” (Summer), and “Sügis” (Autumn) brought in a full house. The film “Viimne reliikvia” (Last Relic) was also very popular. On February 24, Estonian Independence Day, the film “Nimed marmortahvlil” (Names in Marble) will be screened. Alan Teder will introduce the film. In addition to the main film program, documentaries on the film’s production will be shown. The film evenings end with discussions over coffee and dessert.
After the first month of films, viewers were asked to fill in a questionnaire to put together future programs. This introductory series of Estonian films is part of the Estonian Cultural Heritage Year program.
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Piret Noorhani