We had a superb lineup of short films this year - a banner year, in fact! When we have our next short film competition, consider sending a film our way. You don't HAVE to be Estonian to submit a film to our competition. Just see the rules and film away.
Festival Director
Number of Films
21
Sponsored by
Our popular Short Film Competition is back for the 11th time in 2019. We have received great shorts — all under 7 minutes — from professionals and amateurs alike.
Imaginative, witty, funny, perplexing, these films will make your Thursday night a real pleasure. Our independent jury will choose their favourite film from the bunch and Tartu College (our Short Film Sponsor) will be selecting their Amateur favourite. As an audience member, you also get to vote because we always award an “audience favourite”.
So join us on October 24 and have some fun. To warm you up for the night, why not take a look at past competition submissions and winners on our YouTube Channel, or our Short Films page here.
This year's award pot is CAD 2,800. Generally, the Professional category winner receives CAD 1,000, the Amateur category amount is selected by Tartu College, and an additional Audience award winner receives CAD 300. Depending on the quality of the submissions, the jury reserves the right to limit the number of prizes.
21 Shorts
Invite your friends and family! The event is 'Pay What You Can' at the cash bar. As always, there will be coffee and kringel.
This event is over.
Oct 24 @ 6:00 pm
Cinematographer, Professor at Niagara College
For 43 years , cameraman James Crowe has shot material in several disciplines; from drama to documentaries, commercials, sporting events, publicity and news. During that time, he has also taught cinematography at York University and Niagara College. He has also served on several advisory boards and has been elected to film union executive boards. He is currently an Associate member of the C.S.C, ACCT and IATSE 667. His credits are listed on IMDB under James Crowe II. (Photograph courtesy of Paul Ornstein.)
Animator, Film-maker
All her life, meaning the past 16 years, Kaisa has loved taking pictures and making films. She started with animations in primary school and has moved up to making short documentaries. Last year she received "Up and Coming Film-maker Award" at EstDocs for her film on Canadians tasting Estonian Candies. Kaisa's background is both Estonian and Finnish. She moved to Toronto from Estonia only two years ago and now attends Harbord CI where one of her favourite subject is media arts.
Film-maker & Artist
Kai Kaljo is one of the best-known and internationally recognized names in Estonian video art in recent years. Interestingly, for most of her career, Kaljo was better known internationally than at home, having been screened in London, Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, Helsinki, Warsaw, Amsterdam, New York, Vancouver and Rio de Janeiro. Though Kaljo’s technical style is simple, using a hand-held camera, it allows her to connect directly and powerfully with the viewer. Passionate and outspoken about the role of the arts and artists within society, Kaljo was seen as an outsider at home. However, her many international awards and scholarships abroad have resulted in her acceptance in the Estonian art scene. Kaljo’s artistic development is as varied as her abilities. During the Soviet occupation of Estonia, she studied classical music in a high school for the arts. She then studied painting and stained glass at the Estonian Academy of Arts. The collapse of the Soviet Union and Estonia’s resulting independence brought freedom from artistic restrictions, however these skills were no longer needed in the new market-driven economy. In the 90s, Kaljo became an installation artist with several major exhibitions to her credit. In 1997, she made and presented her first video, Luuser (“Loser”), which culturally bridged the Soviet society that had collapsed and the Western market-driven economy that Estonia was careening towards. Luuser reflected these societal experiences through a personal point of view. It proved to be her breakout work that lead to many opportunities for artistic growth. From 2006 to 2017, Kaljo worked as a professor for contemporary art at the Tallinn University. Though still active as a video artist, she has recently returned to working with glass and painting. Kai Kaljo will give a series of artist talks across Ontario about her career, as well as the vibrant Estonian arts scene.
