European Film Week 2025: documentary “Leaving Tallinn. 1941” by Jaak Kilmi and Kiur Aarma
Finland
On October 5 at 11:30, as part of the European Film Week, the documentary “Leaving Tallinn. 1941” by Jaak Kilmi and Kiur Aarma will be screened at Oodi Library, Regina Cinema Hall, Helsinki.
In the final days of August 1941, one of the greatest maritime disasters in history unfolded on the northern coast of Estonia. As German forces advanced, the Soviet authorities carried out a hasty and chaotic evacuation of Tallinn. More than 30,000 people, remnants of the Red Army, fleeing Soviet officials, mobilized Estonians, and civilians, were packed onto over 200 ships bound for Kronstadt and Leningrad. Near the Juminda Peninsula, the convoy sailed into a deadly trap laid by German and Finnish naval forces. Mines, torpedoes, and bombs sank 60 vessels, claiming an estimated 15,000 lives, including thousands of Estonians.
Masters of historical documentary, Kilmi and Aarma, reconstruct these events as a gripping chronological thriller, giving voice to survivors and witnesses. Memories from engine rooms, fighter planes, patrol boats, rescue rafts, ship galleys, and the black waves themselves tell the story – offering perspectives from Germans, Russians, Estonians, and Finns alike. The film also explores how this catastrophe has since been remembered, silenced, diminished, or glorified in different historical narratives.
The screening will be followed by a discussion with the directors Jaak Kilmi and Kiur Aarma.
“Leaving Tallinn. 1941” (Estonia, Finland 2025)
Directors: Jaak Kilmi, Kiur Aarma
Duration: 75 min
Languages: Estonian, Finnish, Russian, German, Swedish (with English subtitles)
Cinematography: Kullar Viimne, Ants Martin Vahur, Egert Kamenik, Meelis Veeremets
Editing: Jaak Kilmi, Martin Männik, Altti Sjögren, Jaak Ollino
Music: Ardo Ran Varres
Graphics: Asko Künnap
Producers: Kiur Aarma, Jaak Kilmi, Hanna Kauppi, Marko Röhr
© Traumfabrik, Pimik, Matila-Röhr Productions
The European Film Week runs from September 29 – October 7, featuring 22 films from across Europe. Full program available on the website of the European Commission Representation in Finland.
