1944 (film)
| 1944 | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Elmo Nüganen[1] |
| Written by | Leo Kunnas[2] |
| Produced by | Maria Avdjuško Ilkka Matila Kristjan Rahu Kristian Taska |
| Starring | Kaspar Velberg Kristjan Üksküla Maiken Schmidt |
| Cinematography | Maksim Osadchiy |
| Edited by | Kimmo Taavila Tambet Tasuja |
| Music by | Jaak Jürisson |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Taska Film MRP Matila Röhr Productions |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Countries | Estonia Finland |
| Language | Estonian |
| Budget | €1,500,000[3] |
| Box office | unknown |
1944 is a 2015 Estonian action war drama film directed by Elmo Nüganen. The film first premiered in February 2015 in Berlin, Germany, before its release in Estonia[4] and other Northern European countries. It was selected as the Estonian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards but it was not nominated.[5]
The film is set in the year 1944, from the Battle of Tannenberg Line (25 July – 10 August 1944) to the Battle of Tehumardi in Sõrve Peninsula (October – November 1944) and is shown through the eyes of Estonian soldiers who had to pick sides and thus fight against their fellow countrymen. Choices had to be made, not only by the soldiers, but also by their loved ones.
The film focuses on the individual in the context of the war rather than war itself, and shows the war from both perspectives – those of the Estonians in the Red Army and in the German Army.
Cast
- Kaspar Velberg as Karl Tammik
- Kristjan Üksküla as Jüri Jõgi
- Maiken Schmidt as Aino Tammik
- Gert Raudsep as Ants Saareste
- Ain Mäeots as Captain Evald Viires
- Peeter Tammearu as a Partorg (Communist Party official)
- Märt Pius and Priit Pius as Käär Brothers
- Hendrik Toompere jr jr as Kristjan Põder
- Kristjan Sarv as Abram Joffe
- Rain Simmul as Prohhor Sedõhh
- Martin Mill as Alfred Tuul
- Ivo Uukkivi as Rudolf Kask
Production
The first part of filming took place in October 2013 till the Easter break of 2014. It then continued at the start of the summer of 2014 where filming also took place at the Sinimäed Hills.[6]
The film was funded by the Estonian Film Institute, Estonian Ministry of Defence, Cultural Endowment of Estonia and private investments.[7]
Reception
On British film aggregation website IMDb, 1944 has a weighted average score of 7.5/10, based on votes from 1,005 users.[8]
Box office
In Estonia 1944, was a huge box office success. With local opening weekend admissions at 19,030 1944 set a new opening weekend record for an Estonian film, beating the previous record of 15,611 admissions set by Names in Marble in 2002.[9] 1944's first week also broke records by achieving 44,879 admissions, the highest ever for an Estonian film that premiered in Estonia.[10]
See also
- List of submissions to the 88th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Estonian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
References
- ^ "Taska Film". Retrieved 30 June 2015.
- ^ "Taska Film 1944 on Facebook: Page Info". Retrieved 30 June 2015.
- ^ "Eyewell Acquires Epic War Drama '1944'". Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ^ "news.err.ee: Year's most anticipated feature film premieres in Tallinn". Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ^ Holdsworth, Nick (14 September 2015). "Oscars: Estonia Nominates '1944' for Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- ^ "Elmo Nüganen's new film, "1944" is a delicate topic". Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ^ "Record Opening Week for "1944"!". Retrieved 8 July 2015.
- ^ "1944 Ratings". IMDb. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
- ^ "1944 Sets an All-time Opening Record in Estonia". Retrieved 8 July 2015.
- ^ "Record Opening Week for "1944"!". Retrieved 8 July 2015.