Estonian films won't come to cinemas this summer: director explains why

While cinemas are offering a rich program this summer, Estonian films are not among them. Director Ivo Felt explains why the summer distribution of Estonian films is too risky an undertaking.

This summer, Estonian cinemas will be empty of Estonian films – a season when Hollywood fills screens with blockbusters, the domestic film distribution is almost non-existent. Director Ivo Felt has explained that placing Estonian films in the summer period is too risky a step for filmmakers and distributors.

Summer is generally a high season for cinemas, but for that very reason international box office hits dominate the program. Estonian films cannot gather the necessary audience in such competition, which is why they prefer to be screened in the autumn-winter period, when foreign competition is smaller and the local public is more committed to cinema.

Film distribution has been a difficult topic in the Estonian film landscape for a long time. Productions with a small market and limited budgets must carefully choose when and how to present their works to the audience. The wrong season can mean that a film quickly disappears from screens without sufficient attention, which in turn affects both the film's reputation and future funding opportunities.

Thus, Estonian film fans will be without domestic screenings in the summer and must wait for autumn, when Estonian filmmakers usually present their new works to the public.