15th World Film Festival

The World Film Festival’s focus in Tartu (Estonia) is on ethnographic films. It takes place in the new and very modern National Museum of Tartu. It screens the movies in 3 different cinema-rooms: in the main room, the special-event room and the chilling room, where the audience can lie down on huge pillows and watch the movies simultaneously with the main room. The World Film Festival is non-competitive; the purpose is rather to meet filmmakers and to share different approaches to documentaries and ethnography.

Almost every screening led to a Q&A (with live streaming via Skype, if the filmmaker was not present – what is really unusual). But it worked very well. The festival screened short and full-length documentaries from all over the world.

I strongly recommend visiting and applying for the World Film Festival. It has a very warm atmosphere and open-minded visitors, organizers and volunteers. Except movies the festival offered a visit to the museum, lectures and discussion panels, music concerts as well as a traditional Estonian sauna evening.
You can expect an audience of approximately 40 people during the screenings.

I was very satisfied with the festival and my screening. I led long discussions during the Q&A as well as during informal meetings. I met filmmakers from South Korea, Italy and the United States and I believe it could be useful in my future work.

www.worldfilm.ee