The aim of the TIFS is to educate a broad audience about Estonian history, culture and way of life though Estonian animation and film.

The films will be subtitled in English, and in addition to the screenings, there will be debates, mini-lectures, and question-and-answer sessions with professionals from various fields who will help to explore the films' topics, context, and themes.

The TIFS program is curated by Tristan Priimägi, an award-winning film critic, journalist and author of the book "101 Estonian Films."

The tickets also include complimentary admission to the exhibition "My Free Country" at the Estonian History Museum in Maarjamäe castle.

TIFS autumn season program:

7.10 Soft and Cold: Soft power in the service of cold war.

"Disco and Atomic War" by Jaak Kilmi (2009)

The 1980s deficit created a cult of capitalist consumer society in the Soviet Union, but the lack of goods and information favored the ruling regime. How can you wish for anything if you don't know what you can want? Finnish television channeled the nebulous Western well-being into a distinct visual package that could be watched illegally in the northern Estonian SSR. The authorities also indulged in Western lust and worked against the official policy, giving themselves and their families western benefits while trying to patch the walls. West and East became interdependent via scorn, empathy, sympathy and pragmatism.

The film is preceded by a mini-lecture in English by the literary scholar Epp Annus, in which she will introduce the political and socio-cultural context.

25.11 Serving Stereotypes: The Eastern European identity post-Soviet Union.

"Autumn ball" by Veiko Õunpuu (2007)

"Autumn ball" is not tied to a specific time period and focuses more on illustrating an idea than a specific narrative, but the physical location is clear: "Eastern-Europe" as a figurative space. "Autumn Ball" was Estonia's first and, in many ways, only successful attempt to break into the international "Eastern Europeanism" market segment.

16.12 From Union to Union: Early Eurosceptics in Estonian animation.

"Hotel E" (1992) by Priit Pärn, "Cabbage Head" (1993) and "Cabbage Head 2 or back to Europe" (1997) by Riho Unt.

Although the country's official policy after regaining independence was clearly aimed at the West, the film and animation industry produced compelling films with a more skeptical or at least ironic stance. Priit Pärna completed his "Hotel E" by only a year after regaining independence, which became an iconic representation of the anarchism characteristic of that time, as euroscepticism was inconceivable. This is followed by "Cabbage Head," an adaptation of two works by Oskar Luts, and "Cabbage Head 2," both of which were extremely successful. The foreign policy of the time had an impact on both comedies. 

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