30/10/2008

Veiko Õunpuu, the acclaimed director of Autumn Ball [+see also:
trailer
film profile], is back behind the camera with The Temptation of St Tony, produced by Katrin Kissa in Estonia (Homeless Bob), Kristina Aberg in Sweden (Atmo) and Tero Kaukomaa and Jesse Fryckman in Finland (Bronson Club).

Rain Tolk (186 Kilometres [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), Taavi Eelmaa, and Tiina Tauraite, three of the leads from Autumn Ball, have teamed up again with Õunpuu, as well as Russia’s Ravshana Kurkova, Sweden’s Sten Ljunggren and France’s Denis Lavant. The DoP is Mart Taniel (Autumn Ball) and the production designer Markku Pätilä, who collaborates with Aki Kaurismäki.

The Temptation of St Tony was awarded the European Talent Award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Õunpuu's new film, based on his own original screenplay, will draw inspiration from the legend of Saint Anthony, using a contemporary setting and storyline to reflect on goodness: Can someone become a saint today and be sincerely and selflessly good?

The €1m film was supported by the Estonian Film Foundation, the Estonian Ministry of Culture, the MEDIA programme, Eurimages, the Swedish Film Institute, the Finnish Film Foundation and Finnish public broadcaster YLE.

Shooting on various locations in Estonia will last until November 30 and the delivery date is set for the autumn 2009.