Low construction prices may benefit plans to build Tallinn film studio
Falling construction prices may make it cheaper than possibly thought to build a film studio on Tallinn's Paljassaare peninsula and plans are moving forward despite the coronavirus crisis.
Tallinn Film Wonderland is planned to be built in North Tallinn, on the Paljassaare peninsula. Design work will be carried out until July 2020, and construction will begin in 2021. As the first stage, three studios and auxiliary rooms of the film campus with the accompanying infrastructure will be completed by 2022.
Gren Noormets, CEO of Tallinn Film Wonderland, told ERR the company is currently on its preliminary schedule and are designing the studio complex and see no reason why completion should be postponed.
Noormets said since they are in the initial design phase, they have the opportunity to consider measures to help combat the spread of the virus when planning the building. "For example, we can create separate rooms for separate groups so they would not have to come into contact with each other in their work."
There are also benefits to building the studio during the changing economic situation as construction prices are falling.
"Construction prices have been very high. Too high. It is a crime to build with such prices," Noormets noted. According to him, the construction procurement of the film campus will take place in the second half of this year.
As for the financing of the film campus, the new economic situation caused by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic will not affect it.
He also believes it is better that Estonia has the film studio after the coronavirus crisis because it will provide an opportunity to help the film industry, which is already in difficulty.
"Creating a controlled indoor environment for filming is becoming increasingly important, especially in attracting international productions to our region," he explained. "It will help local players in the field to be more globally competitive and better able to get out of difficult times."
According to him, in order to achieve the same conditions, not everyone has to be at the scene at the same time. He said Estonian film producers, such as Nafta Films, have already made successful experiments with long-distance filming, and therefore, according to him, restrictions on physical presence will not be an obstacle to working in the film city.
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Editor: Helen Wright
