Estonia to submit 'Mother' for Oscars' foreign language film category
Estonia will be submitting Kadri Kõusaar's feature-length film "Mother" for nomination to the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 89th Academy Awards in 2017. "Mother" tells the tale of a year-long self-deception, unfulfilled dreams and the absence of love.
"This is a great honor, because this might be a small step right now, but we are starting to head in that direction and perhaps we will even succeed in broadening it," Kõusaar told ETV's nightly news broadcast "Aktuaalne kaamera."
The feature-length drama, which was inspired by Irish filmmaker Kevin McCann's radio series "Coma," focuses on a woman who is caring for her adult son who entered into a coma after he was shot. The lead character, played by Tiina Mälberg, must stand face to face with small-town residents who are attempting to solve the riddle of what happened to her son. What initially seems to be an unsophisticated crime story turns out to be a very human tragedy that breaks the small-town and "small person" molds, leaving viewers to face issues of the age including morality, self-sacrifice, personal happiness as well as the freedom of choice head on.
The Estonian Film Institute's selection committee, which consisted of Estonian Cinema Association Chairman Martti Helde, Lauri Kaare, Tõnu Karjaste, Mait Mäekivi, Mare Raidma, Riina Sildos and Edith Sepp, made their selection from among feature-length Estonian films which premiered between Oct. 1, 2015 and Sept. 30 of this year and were screened for at least seven consecutive days in commercial movie theaters.
"Mother," which first debuted at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festvial this spring, was produced by Aet Laigu; also involved were screenwriter Leana Jalukse and cameraman Jean-Noël Mustonen.
According to the Film Academy's rules, the majority financing by an Estonian production company (i.e. its creative control) determines whether a film is classified as Estonian-made.
The 89th Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2016.
Editor: Editor: Aili Vahtla