Film school: A tour through the Estonian community abroad
Uma Laur, a student at Kinomaja Film School in Tallinn, writes about how she made five documentaries in two weeks in New York this summer with Estonian youth there.
In mid-August, I spent almost two weeks in New York with other students from the Kinomaja Film School to create five short documentaries with Estonian youth in New York. When we stepped out of the stuffy metro station, everything seemed so big and even terrifying, but when we entered the Estonian House, I suddenly felt at home and safe. This house reminded me of a small Estonia where everyone says hello even to the people they do not know all that well, because, as in Estonia, everyone knows everyone somehow.
Short documentaries were the first film experience for young people in New York and the first documentary film experience for students at Kinomaja Film School, so we were all taking a plunge. The documentary focused on five older generations of the Estonian diaspora who have attended the New York Estonian School. The creative directors of the groups were documentalists Heilika Pikkov and Liina Särkinen. On the technical side, we were supported by the Canadian production company Ruudi, which also includes Hedy Läets from Saaremaa. The members of Ruudi helped us with all the practical issues during the filming and editing period.
On Saturday 15 August, documentary activist Liina Särkinen gave an introductory filmmaking fast-track course, aimed in particular at young people aged 14-16 in New York. Then there was no time to lounge around – we were divided into groups and immediately started generating interview questions. The next day, all the material had to be filmed in a few hours. It was quite a challenge, because in film school we usually have six months to prepare for shooting and the shoot lasts a few days. Filming the cutaway shots was quite spontaneous, because we wanted to stay on schedule.
After the shoots, we drove to Long Island Estonian House, where a tight five-day editing period began. Film school people were put in an editing chair, and young people from New York were challenged to make a film in 48 hours. To bring a change to sitting on a computer and get some exercise, we had folk dance classes twice a day. The classes were conducted by choreographer David Truusa and young folk musician Kertu-Liis Õnnis. The dance lessons were special because we could practice with live music. Folk dancing united us as a group on a completely different level – we were all part of something new and connected together. We practiced the programme for Saturday’s premiere, which consisted of five different dances. The first dance was from Southern Estonia and the last dance was from Northern Estonia, which is why the title of the programme was ‘A Tour of Estonia’. In addition, a painting lesson and a short DJ course were held by Uno Habakukk. In short, this week was very busy, but full of excitement and new experiences.
On Saturday 23 August, the premiere of the short documentaries was held at the Estonian House in New York. After watching the films, the local Estonian expatriate Mari Teedla spontaneously stood up and gave a short speech in which she expressed her enthusiasm for these documentaries. This did make me feel that I had been part of something important – that even in a hundred years’ time, these films will be found in the archives and you will be able to taste a piece of the history of the Estonian School in New York. Through this project, I learned that there is a New York Estonian House with an Estonian school that keeps the Estonian community abroad alive. Together with the students of Kinomaja Film School, I am extremely grateful that the people of the Estonian House welcomed us so kindly and involved us in this project.
The thing that stayed with me the most from the documentaries was the idea that the friends people make in the Estonian school are friends for life. Young Estonians in New York also said the same thing – it was easy for them to make friends at an Estonian school because they were brought together by common roots. In addition, I was moved by the fact that the Estonian school has been operating for so long. This could not have happened without the profound desire of the Estonians, which keeps the school going. I also believe that, in the case of documentaries, it is important how a story is conveyed. What was special about passing on this project was that it was done by young people – the stories of the older generation are now captured through the eyes of young people.
