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AWARDS Estonia

The Estonian critics’ annual film award goes to The Days that Confused

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- Triin Ruumet’s energetic debut film won over the country’s critics with its bold, youthful and punky approach

The Estonian critics’ annual film award goes to The Days that Confused
The Days that Confused by Triin Ruumet

The Estonian Film Journalists’ Association’s annual Neitsi Maali (“Virgin Maali”) Award for Best Film of the Year has been handed to Triin Ruumet’s energetic debut film, The Days that Confused [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Triin Ruumet
film profile
]
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The Days that Confused tells a fictional period account of the early capitalist Estonia of the 1990s, when the urge to strike it rich fast was on everyone’s mind, and nothing was off limits as they tried to achieve that goal. The soundtrack brings forth the campy Estonian nu-disco and high-energy tracks of the time from the darkest recesses of memory. The film has a very lax attitude towards the narrative, and relies more on recreating the chaotic atmosphere of those times. It was hailed by the critics as a bold, youthful and punky approach to filmmaking. The Days that Confused began its festival circuit at Karlovy Vary last year, where it scooped a Jury Special Mention in the East of the West section.

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Other nominees for the prize included the features The Spy and the Poet [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Toomas Hussar, Polar Boy by Anu Aun and Pretenders [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Vallo Toomla. The shortlist was rounded off by a short animation by Ülo Pikkov called Empty Room

Besides the Neitsi Maali, two other awards were handed out. The Film Journalist of the Year title went to Maria Ulfsak, the editor of the film section of the Estonian weekly paper Eesti Ekspress, while Theatrical Release of the Year was handed to Lithuanian distributor A-One Films for Maren Ade’s oft-praised Toni Erdmann [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Maren Ade
film profile
]
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Neitsi Maali is Estonia’s longest-running film award, given out since 1993. Although it has been handed out for 24 years now, this year was particularly notable, as it was the first time that it went to a female filmmaker. Indeed, women seemed to dominate this year, as both the Film Journalist Award and the Theatrical Release Award went to female recipients as well. 

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