Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR)

Living alone in an Estonian slum and unable to afford basic needs, a top high school student reluctantly enters the drug game to make ends meet.

Robert De Niro is famous for his award-winning portrayals of gangsters, criminals and socially disturbed men who show surprising traces of vulnerability. By analyzing his astonishing roles in iconic films through the years, the documentary reveal the complex actor behind these extreme characters. Because the public knows little about the man who is largely silent about his own life and emotions, this film tries to unwraps one of the most fascinating and enigmatic American actors of all time for the audience. For this the filmakers use clips from his feature films, archive footage of his sparse interviews and probe into his background to illustrate De Niro’s methods for becoming the characters he plays and the reasons he’s able to do so. All of this culminates in a rare exposé of the genesis of the hidden pain that enables the masterful actor to bring such intensity to the big screen.

In a quiet resort town Haapsalu four kids are spending their summer holidays together. Suddenly they are dragged into events that started in the 15th century in the local bishop's stronghold. The children must solve a difficult mystery of a clock robbery and they have to find a treasure that has been lost for centuries and contains a formula of making gold.

In the same vein as Meri's other documentations, this one takes advantage of the glasnost policy to discuss the social and ecologic impact of the Russian oil industry on the natives and the lands they inhabit.

Even if it rains knives, dozens of people still gather in front of the Tartu market building every morning, looking for various types of work. The people call this place a slave market. Does the fault lie with the people who have lost all other ways of earning a living? Or is there something wrong with our society?

Sensitive and restless Johannes is accepted to an elite school in Tallinn and expects life to go uphill. Instead, he becomes the victim of mental abuse by his classmates. In search of recognition, he goes to his old Lasnamäe friends, who spend their time doing drugs, hanging around, and partying, rather than focusing on schoolwork. At home, Johannes must deal with his mother’s deteriorating mental health. As the tension grows, he finds himself at zero point, where he must completely reset his life to build it up from scratch.

Through four nonlinear but interconnected Finno-Ugric storylines, approximately 7,500 years ago, traces of the Kaalo meteorite – that struck the Estonian island of Saarema – left a profound mark on the peoples living along the Baltic Sea, shaping local myths and legends.

He is the most performed contemporary composer in the world. And yet he rarely ventures out in public, prefers to keep quiet about his music, feels at home in the forests of Estonia and generates therewith - perhaps involuntarily - the impression of a recluse, which is attributed to him again and again: Arvo Part. In The Lost Paradise, we follow him over a period of one year in his native Estonia, to Japan and the Vatican. The documentary is framed by the stage production of Adam's Passion, a music theater piece based on the Biblical story of the fall of Adam featuring three key works by Arvo Part. The world-renowned director Robert Wilson has brought this work to the stage in a former submarine factory in Tallinn. Tracing their creative process, the film offers rare and personal insights into the worlds of two of the most fascinating personalities in the international arts and music scene.

Until the restoration of independence of Estonia in 1991, a collective farm operated in the village of Pähkla in Saaremaa, which employed almost all the villagers. Lembri Uudu also worked there as a tractor driver. After the collapse of the collective farm, most of the villagers lost their jobs and Uudu died. Sometimes, however, it happens that a person's real life force comes out only after his death.

Enn Lillemets' film about his close friend and spiritual teacher Betti Alver. Through personal memories and Betti’s creative masterpieces, Lillemets sheds light on one of Estonian poetry’s brightest and most engaging personalities.

The film follows 10-year-old Oleg, whose life has been turned upside down by the ongoing war in East Ukraine. Oleg lives with his beloved grandmother Alexandra in a small house in a village on the frontline. Most people have left the village, but Oleg and Alexandra love their life together there and want to stay on and take care of each other. But life is becoming more and more difficult and the war does not seem to end.

Erik is a young guy, successful in his profession. Yet he has decided to be a volunteer on a suicide helpline, answering calls in the middle of the night from people who feel that they have nowhere else to turn and no one who would listen to them. What will his first shift look like?

Peeter and Berlin are partners that support one another. Peeter says that there are a lot of people like him in Berlin: “This place attracts people like me, because you can be your true self. Berlin doesn't judge you for who you are. Berlin accepts you the way you are. You don't see this in a lot of other cities. You won't see such attitude in Estonia!” Without a doubt, Berlin is Peeter's home and Peeter is a part of Berlin. It is a story about a man's survival in the city, which offers him almost motherly care. It is a story about loneliness, struggle and freedom.

These stories take us to the dreamlike outskirts of Estonia, where the everyday is intertwined with the paranormal. At the heart of the film is the human desire to understand the unseen and listen to those whose experiences are often ignored. It is a peaceful and human journey to the edge of the unknown, which does not seek proof, but tries to understand what it means to believe.

"Teet Härm - Maniac or Victim?" - suspected of killing a prostitute, Teet Härm became as famous in Sweden as Hannibal Lecter on the cinema screen. At the end of September 2003, the long-running murder scandal took a new turn as Anders Agell, emeritus professor at the Uppsala University, one of the most authoritative legal experts in Sweden, filed a new petition seeking annulment of Teet Härm and his accomplice Thomas Allgén. In the summer of 1984, an accidental passer-by found a black plastic bag containing a young woman's cut body under the motorway in Stockholm's Solna district. A little later, two other similar packages were found nearby.

A rebellious rock film from the cult band from Taaralinn. The usual rock film's abundant alcohol and drug scenes are replaced by scientific research by the band members who are PhD students. Punk rock is not opposed to nature and science. On the contrary, through revolutionary punk music, the band members promote sustainable lifestyles and point out the shortcomings of a consumer society. The spring band offers creative self-expression as an alternative to mindless consumption.

Documentary about Peeter Simm and the difficulties of creating a feature film. The Estonian weather and the unfamiliar working style of famous German actors seriously tested the abilities of director Peeter Simm when the Estonian-German feature film “Fed Up!” was filmed in the spring of 2005.

A film about two major summer youth festivals in Estonia: Pühajärve Beach Party and Viljandi Folk Music Festival. Both take place in a beautiful small town, both last for several days, and both have developed their own permanent audience, which almost never overlap with each other. Are there two different youth cultures in Estonia? Does the choice of summer festivals determine who you are?

Taff, Brolla, Pärnakas and Konks are ordinary Tartu students who have been earning extra money by transporting corpses around the city. In the midst of their daily chores, the four friends and their companions have to ensure round-the-clock readiness to respond to police calls and deliver bodies for forensic examination. Transporting corpses is far from an easy job. However, this profession, which is repulsive and harsh to the average person, has not changed the optimistic and humorous attitude towards life of the main characters, at least on the outside. What has forced the students to seize such an unusual earning opportunity?

Unustatud rahvad (1970 - 1989) by Estonian composer Veljo Tormas is based upon six Balto-Finnic peoples traditions. Collegium Musicale choir brought the songs to different sides of Baltic coasts to liven current citizens connections for fleeting past and strengthen their identity.