Estonian films win several awards at international film festivals
Estonian filmmakers won awards last weekend at the Riga International Film Festival and at an animation festival in Fredrikstad, Norway. Henry Veermäe's animated short "Uka-uka" was recognised at both.
Last weekend, Estonian filmmakers achieved success at two international festivals: the Riga International Film Festival (Riga IFF) and the largest animation festival in the Nordic countries, held in Fredrikstad, Norway. Director Henry Veermäe's animated film "Uka-uka" won awards at both events, while the short "Kyiv Cake", produced by the Estonian studio Eesti Joonisfilm together with a Ukrainian director, took the top prize in Norway.
Riga film festival
In Riga, "Uka-uka" received the Short Film Candidate for the European Film Award. As a result, it is among the contenders for the European Film Academy award for best short film of 2028, which gives it a chance to become a nominee for the European prize.
Eeva Mägi's feature film "My Dad" received a special award in the festival's feature-length competition programme. The jury praised the actors' skill, saying that together they convey the warmth, tension and emotional sincerity of a deeply human need to be noticed, accepted and loved.
Jaan Sinka, whose short film "Anti Kristo" received a prize for a test screening, also brought an award home from the neighbouring country.
Fredrikstad festival
In Norway, the grand prix at the largest Nordic animation festival went to the animated short "Kyiv Cake", made by Eesti Joonisfilm in cooperation with Ukrainian director Nikita Lyskov. According to the jury, the film grips the viewer from the first seconds, immersing them in the everyday life of a Ukrainian family struggling with domestic hardships in an apartment building. As the audience learns more about the characters, reality emerges: the family becomes a target of Russian attacks, and tragedy strikes their city, their building and the family itself. The jury singled out the film's boundless creative inventiveness and its strong message about the tragic consequences of war.
"Kyiv Cake" was created on the initiative of Joonisfilm as part of a project supporting Ukraine. It was prepared exclusively through online communication with Lyskov, who lives in Dnipro, and was produced in Estonia.
In Norway, "Uka-uka" also won two more awards: it was named best short animated film of the Nordic countries and the Baltics, and received the award of the International Federation of Film Press.
