As part of the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024, the short film collection “The Wild South” will be released in Estonian cinemas on May 5. The films will bring viewers eight unique stories from Tartu and Southern Estonia by well-known filmmakers from Estonia and award-winning documentarians abroad.
The films capture the tricks and mysteries about the arts of survival in the region. In these stories, we meet peculiar vehicles known as “karakat” from Peipsi, charming non-places of Tartu, the wild German woman living an off-grid life without water and electricity, mischievous goats and crazy village parties, the diverse Annelinn residents and nostalgic Petseri, slime mould and space exploration, and of course, the artists of survival from today and past.
Kaarel Kuurmaa, the artistic director of the documentary programme, comments: “It is an extraordinary event in the history of Estonian cinema, in which domestic and international filmmakers meet, who all find their own approach to the concept of the arts of survival. The result is a strong cassette that reflects what is happening in Tartu and Southern Estonia. Although the filmmakers worked separately and independently, they developed an exciting dialogue, and similar ideas and themes.”
Films and authors of the Wild South: Artists of Survival (Jaan Tootsen / Estonia), Cohabitants (Viesturs Kairišs / Latvia), Hilda Ha. Off the Grid (Eva Kübar / Estonia), The River and A Cat (Maria Aua / Estonia), The House (Carl Olsson / Sweden, Denmark), A Perfect Day For Karakat (Andrey Paounov / Bulgaria), The Art of Looking (Andris Gauja, Latvia), Sewing Machine (Ülo Pikkov / Estonia).
The animations for the film collection were done by award-winning Estonian animator Sander Joon.
The films are in Estonian, English, Russian and German with Estonian and English subtitles. The collection will be in cinemas across Estonia from May 5.