The WoRlD of ESToNIAN FIlM

HOW DO WE LOOK?
On April 27, 2012, 100 years passed
since the day that one aspiring young
man and his two friends headed off
to shoot Estonia’s first film. Russian
aviation pioneer Sergei Utotschkin flew
several rings over the town of Tartu in a
rickety wood and canvas biplane while
the Estonian film pioneer recorded it
using a contraption that he himself
had constructed. The air show was even
repeated on the following day due to great
public interest and commercial factors.
What is also noteworthy, however, is that
the line chosen for an advertisement in
the local newspaper – meant to draw
a crowd to see the first Estonian-made
motion picture – read: “It is possible
for the audience present at the flight
to see themselves on the floor of the
performance.”
Johannes Pääsuke (1892–1918), an enterprising photographer
and the Estonian film pioneer, whose studio Estonia Film
produced newsreels for local cinemas and the big French
labels. Shot about 40 film pieces during his short career, nine
of which have been preserved. Of greatest interest are his film
portrayals of Estonian places, e.g. Retk läbi Setomaa (A Journey
Through Seto Country, 1913). Drafted into WWI, Pääsuke fell to his
death during an accident in a railcar in Orsha, Belarus in 1918.
1
Here you are born. On a flat stretch of land.
It is here that your peace and your balance stand.
/Paul-Eerik Rummo, a nonconformist poet (see p 42)/
ENM
ENM