“Cohabitants” goes to IDFA
The short film “Cohabitants,” which tells the story of Piirissaare, will premiere in November at one of the world’s largest documentary film festivals, IDFA. The short film, produced as part of the Tartu 2024 Arts of Survival documentary program, has been selected for the festival’s international short film competition.
According to one of the film’s producers, Olga Hartšuk, reaching the competition category of such a prestigious film festival demonstrates that “the story of Piirissaare’s unique community has touched people.”
The director of “Cohabitants” is Viesturs Kairišs. The cinematographers are Wojciech Staroń and Tomek Pawlik, the editor is Andres Hallik, the composer is Juris Vaivods, and the sound director is Leonid Bragin. The film’s producers are Esko Rips and Olga Hartšuk. The production company is Nafta Films (Estonia).
Estonian viewers had the chance to see “Cohabitants” earlier this spring in the short film collection “Wild South,” which premiered in Tartu and has attracted over 1,500 viewers in Estonian cinemas. This collection consists of the visions of four Estonian and four international directors, capturing life in Tartu and Southern Estonia just before the year 2024.
“Cohabitants” was produced with the support of the Estonian Film Institute, the Tartu 2024 Foundation, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, and the Tartu Film Fund.
