23/09/2005

Kaaren Kaer’s historical comedy Men at Arms one of a handful of Estonian films released domestically each year, and one of the two films produced in 2005 by production/distribution company Exitfilm, is currently at Number 3 at the local box office after a 10 days run. The film released by Exitfilm with four prints, two in the Estonian major cities Tallin and Tartu, and two in the countryside, has attracted almost 6,000 cinemagoers so far, a "very good result for a country with a population of 1.4 million and where the top Hollywood films reach 70,000 admissions and Estonian films between 12.000 and 30.000 admissions" according to the film’s producer Anneli Ahven. In comparison, last year’s local hit Revolution of Pigs by Jaak Kilmi and Rene Reinumagi sold a total of 24,791 tickets.

Men At Arms produced for only 100.000€, is a fake historic epic on the Middle Ages and Estonia’s not so glorious past. The film is set in 1208, as the first Eastward enlargement of Europe is under way. Brutal forces of Teutonic Order are steadily marching on, and on their path live simple and peaceful people, Estonians, ignorant of the ways of war, who find an unlikely leader in a young boy with Catholic upbringing. In their fight for freedom, the Estonians have to fight the Germans, French, Russians and, worst of all, …Latvians.
The film is the promising directorial debut of 25-year-old Karen Kaer who previously made three documentaries for Estonian TV and a few short films. And supporting young talented filmmakers is certainly quintessential to Exitfilm, a regular co-producer to other European production companies such as Denmark’s Zentropa Entertainment or Sweden’s Memfis Film.
Now Anneli Ahven, one of the two producers at Exitfilm with the founder of the company, producer/director Peeter Urba, is going to concentrate on finding an international sales agent to represent Men at Arms while developing Exitfilm’s next feature film project: Where Souls Go written by Estonian best-selling novelist Aidi Vallik, the story of a 16-year-old girl Ann, heroine of Vallik’s books.