Seven projects receive support from the spring round

The Tartu Film Fund received 16 applications for its 2026 spring funding round. The total amount requested was 493,501 euros, which significantly exceeded the available budget for the round. As a result, the Tartu Film Fund will support seven projects with a total of 68,000 euros.

The supported projects are feature films “Beatrice”, “The Bright Days”, “She-Devil” and “Taxi App”, the feature-length docudrama “War for Freedom”, the quality television series “Seconds”, and the short film “The Eel”.

This year’s spring round showed that filmmakers continue to have strong interest in Tartu and Southern Estonia. Several of the submitted projects were international co-productions, and the filming locations of the supported works are planned both in the city of Tartu and in different parts of Southern Estonia. In 2026, the supported projects plan to spend a total of 700,000 euros in the Tartu Film Fund region.

The largest grant, 20,000 euros, was awarded to the feature film “Beatrice”. The film is produced by Stellar Film, directed by Vallo Toomla and produced by Evelin Penttilä. This Estonian-Lithuanian-Italian co-production is an intimate science-fiction drama based on Siret Campbell’s play of the same name, which was first staged at the Vanemuine Theatre.

A grant of 15,000 euros was awarded to the feature film “The Bright Days”, produced by Nafta Films with co-producers from Germany. The film is based on Zsuzsa Bánk’s novel and follows three families and their children from Southern Germany in the late 1960s to Rome. Several urban filming locations are planned in Tartu.

A grant of 10,000 euros was awarded to “War for Freedom”, a feature-length docudrama produced by Tuuledraakon Film and directed and produced by Ain Mäeots. The film tells the story of the Estonian War of Independence through three young characters based on historical prototypes. Filming locations are planned both in the city of Tartu and in Tartu County.

Another 10,000 euros was awarded to the feature film “She-Devil”, produced by Meteoriit. The historical revenge thriller is an Estonian-Latvian-Lithuanian co-production and explores themes of personal tragedy, violence and resistance. The lead role is played by Tartu-born actress Maarja Johanna Mägi.

A grant of 5,000 euros was awarded to “Taxi App”, written and directed by Rain Rannu and produced by Tallifornia SPV12 Meemäger. The film tells the story of Bolt and its founder Markus Villig — how a mobile application created by a young schoolboy grew into an international technology company. Tartu is an important place in the story, as it is connected to the university city and the entrepreneurial journey that began there.

A grant of 5,000 euros was also awarded to the third season of the quality television series “Seconds”, produced by Allfilm in co-production with the Finnish company Fire Monkey. The six-part series follows an investigator dealing with the aftermath of a motorway bridge collapse. Part of the series will be filmed in Jõgeva County.

The short film “The Eel” received a grant of 3,000 euros. Produced by Motor Entertainment Group, written by Andres Maimik and directed by Kristiina Davidjants, the magical realist youth film tells the story of a teenage girl trying to find her place and connect with others in a difficult world. Filming will take place mainly in Võru County.

Photo: “Beatrice” lead actors Priit Võigemast, Valentina Belle and Alma Pöysti. Photo by Kristjan Mõru

16 projects submitted to the Tartu Film Fund spring call

A total of 16 projects were submitted to the Tartu Film Fund’s spring call.

The applications include:
🔆 8 feature films
🔆 4 short films
🔆 3 feature-length documentaries
🔆 1 high-end TV series

The call also reflects how production interest in the region has become increasingly international over the years. Among the submissions are 9 international co-productions, with partners from Germany, Finland, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The total volume of planned expenditure in the Tartu Film Fund region amounts to approximately €1.57 million, while the total amount of funding requested is €533,502.

The submitted projects will be evaluated by the committee in the coming weeks, and funding decisions will be announced by 30 April.