The EBRD hosted a screening of the Estonian film "1944" on Thursday 11 February 2016.

“1944” tells the story of Estonia during the last year of WWII, from the Blue Hills to the Sõrve Peninsula. The story is told through the eyes of Estonian soldiers who are in a moral quandary, forced to pick sides between invading armies when their real dream is re-establishing Estonian independence. This often meant, quite literally, brother fighting brother. Today, 70 years on, the filmmakers explore their moral dilemma, show the hopes, disappointments and drama of these men and their loved ones.

“1944” (100 mins.) was directed by Elmo Nüganen, the creative director of Tallinn City Theatre. It was the Estonian contender for the 88th (2016) Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language film. His first feature film, “Names in Marble”, (2002) broke all audience records in Estonia.

The film’s producer, Kristian Taska, and actor Kristjan Üksküla attended and participated in a Q&A session with the audience following the film. This event had been organised in collaboration with the Embassy of Estonia.