Estonian animation premieres new works
Studio Eesti Joonisfilm will premiere its latest films on Wednesday, May 17, at the Sõprus cinema. The audience will see Mattias Mälk’s “Operation LARP” and Morten Tšinakov and Lucija Mrzljak’s “Eeva.”
A few years ago, a NATO plane lost a missile in our forests (before they were clear-cut). This is the story told in Mattias Mälk’s film, albeit only loosely inspired by that news. The plot revolves around a huntress returning home to find her husband in the arms of another woman. The mistress flees, accidentally becoming part of a live-action role-playing game (LARP) in the forest, only to have a modern missile join the fray.
Mattias Mälk comments, “The idea for the film was born in a brighter, pre-pandemic time, when we couldn’t imagine that little green men and missiles would become so relevant. The film’s absurd characters and events offer a delightful escape from reality.”
Alongside the newly completed “Operation LARP,” the home audience will also have the chance to see Morten Tšinakov and Lucija Mrzljak’s stylishly refined funeral film “Eeva.” “Eeva” debuted at the Berlinale in February, making it the first Estonian film to reach the short film competition at one of the world’s largest and most important film festivals. To date, the film has been selected for the competition programs of the prestigious Annecy and Zagreb festivals, two of the most important festivals in the international animation community alongside Ottawa and Hiroshima.
Morten Tšinakov and Lucija Mrzljak state, “While participating in various festivals is significant, it is equally important for us to reach our home audience.”
Both Mattias Mälk and the duo of Morten Tšinakov and Lucija Mrzljak studied animation under Priit Pärn and Olga Pärn and have realized their creative projects at Eesti Joonisfilm.
Eesti Joonisfilm plans to make both “Operation LARP” and “Eeva” accessible to local audiences through current streaming platforms (Telia, Elisa, Arkaader, Jupiter) and broadcast them on ETV.
“Operation LARP” was written, directed, and designed by Mattias Mälk, with music composed by Liina Sumera. The film was produced at Eesti Joonisfilm, with support from the Estonian Film Institute and the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.
“Eeva” was written by Morten Tšinakov, directed and designed by Morten Tšinakov and Lucija Mrzljak, with music composed by Morten Tšinakov. The film was produced at Eesti Joonisfilm and Adriatic Animation, with support from the Estonian Film Institute, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, and the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.
“Operation LARP” trailer: https://vimeo.com/782575169
“Eeva” trailer: https://vimeo.com/724469078
Film information:
“Operation LARP”: https://joonisfilm.ee/en/films/operation-larp/
“Eeva”: https://joonisfilm.ee/en/films/eeva-2/
Eesti Joonisfilm on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Joonisfilm/