27/08/2013 - New feature by Andres Maimik and Katrin Maimik is described as a “…youthful relationship drama about falling in love for the first time.”

Principal photography has begun in Estonia on Cherry Tobacco (Kirsitubakas), the latest feature from director/screenwriter duo Andres and Katrin Maimik. The film will represent Katrin Maimik’s feature film debut while Andres Maimik is known for the likes of Estonian hit comedy Kormoranid.  The film is produced by Kuukulgur Film, whose other successes include documentary The New World (Uus Maailm) and – most recently – Daisy Petal Game II (Karikakramäng II), the anthology of shorts which included films directed by Andres and Katrin Maimik.

Cherry Tobacco follows a small town girl who is constantly bored. Her mother gets on her nerves, boys her age are stupid, and all activities seem childish. One day Laura’s energetic friend Merit asks her to join a hike to a bog led by a middle-aged nature-lover Joosep. The beginning of the trip is anything but promising: the relationship between the reserved girl and the outgoing Joosep who tries to impress the hiking party with his hillbilly style and bizarre rituals becomes tense. Much to her own surprise, Laura discovers that as the hike continues she is enchanted by the rugged charm of Joosep. The quest is coming to its irrefutable end and Laura has to decide whether the relationship with an older man is a mere stop in the winding road towards becoming a woman or if it is her very first love.

The cast includes Maris Nõlvak, Gert Raudsep (photo), Getter Meresmaa, Anne Reemann, Viiu Maimik, Aap Salumets, Tiina Kadarpik and Andres Kütt.

The film will be shot between August and October 2013 and is due to premiere in autumn 2014. It is funded by the Estonian Film Institute and Estonian Cultural Endowment.