17-05-2010

Tanel Toom wins Estonia’s first Oscar

By Martin Aadamsoo

    Young Estonian filmmaker Tanel Toom's (28) graduation film The Confession. one of the five nominees, won the Oscar for the Honorary Foreign Film award in the 37th Student Academy Awards, first Oscar win for an Estonian filmmaker.

    The film was also the first Oscar nomination for Estonia. The Confession was shortlisted from a total of 61 film submissions from 36 countries, the highest number ever.

    Tanel graduated from the international Baltic Film and Media School (www.bfm.ee) in Tallinn in 2005 as a director and went on to study in London at the National Film and TV School. Toom's first short film The Second Coming competed in the official short film programme of the Venice Film Festval in 2008.

    The Confession was directed by Tanel Toom, written by Caroline Bruckner, produced by Emily Williams, and completed as a graduation film at UK's National Film and TV School in March this year.

    The awards ceremony will take place on June 12 in Los Angeles.