Veiko Õunpuu (“Autumn Ball” 2007, “The Temptation of St. Tony” 2010, “Free Range/Ballad on Approving of the World” 2013) has decided to make his new film, “Roukli” without institutional financial support.  The film will be made through an experimental process of improvisation and financed through the Estonian crowdfunding platform Hooandja.

According to Õunpuu, the reasons for turning to crowdfunding for his new film were creative. “We find creative freedom in independence from institutional support,” Õunpuu said. “The actors have more room to experiment and we can make changes in the script, scenes and story development during the shooting process.”

This is the first time an Estonian feature film has been funded using crowdfunding. The cast includes many actors from Õunpuu’s previous films, including Lauri Lagle, who recently received a Best Actor award from Vilnius IFF for his role in “Free Range”. 

As far as the story, the cast and crew don’t reveal much. Their crowdfunding pitch explains: “To begin with, all we have is a location – a farm by the sea, on the edge of the primeval Roukli oak grove. And an untranslatable Inuit concept: “Iktsuarpok”. That vague feeling of anticipation that makes you keep looking outside to see if someone’s coming. This restless longing is where our film begins. As to what comes next, here we keep silent. So we don’t attempt to describe things that lack form and which would only become lies if put into words. We don’t want to lie.”

The film stars Mirtel Pohla, Juhan Ulfsak, Meelis Rämmeld, Lauri Lagle, Eva Klemets and Peeter Raudsepp.

Shooting begins in July 2014.

Additional info:

http://www.hooandja.ee/en/projekt/veiko-ounpuu-film-roukli

https://www.facebook.com/rouklitammik?fref=photo

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Ene Jürna
Assistent-juhiabi
Sihtasutus Eesti Filmi Instituut
627 6060