According to the contract signed on Tuesday the creative incubator and film studios in Jõhvi, should be completed by August next year. The original construction schedule has been set back by more than six months as obtaining support from the Fair Transition Fund proved more difficult than expected, said Teet Kuusmik, head of the Jõhvi Film Center.

"The Just Transition Fund is a different to the funding we have encountered in the past. It meant that additional analyses had to be outsourced," Kuusmik explained.

Tarmo Roos, CEO of construction company Mapri Ehitus, said it is always exciting to work on such a unique project.

"This is the kind of project that we haven't led the design process on before. There are special conditions – as always with film studios, soundproofing is important. But there are also other different solutions that you might look at and wonder what's so special about this building – it's square and it's got a roof on top. But in fact it has to be different from other buildings of the same shape. These conditions are a challenge, and we have taken them into account. Implementing them in the work project is an exciting thing to do, and we'll do our best," Roos told ERR.

He also added that the hope is for an Oscar-winning film to be shot in the studio once it is complete.

"That would be great. I'm a huge movie fan myself. Whether it's an Estonian film that wins an Oscar or a foreign film made here does. We could showcase Estonia as a  movie country and that would be great," he said.

In addition to the film studios, the Jõhvi Film Center will also house a digital and multimedia incubator, the contract for which, is being prepared. The creative incubator and film studios, which are at the heart of the film center, will cost €11 million. Together with the digital and multimedia incubator and the necessary infrastructure, the Film Center will cost a total of €16 million.

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