Kristiina Reidolv, a member of the board of the Tartu Center for Creative Industries (TCCI), told ERR there are currently no film studios in Estonia, but more and more film productions are taking place in studios around the world. With companies such as Netflix and other such streaming platforms growing in popularity, there is also the chance to make productions in Estonia as these companies like to host content for national audiences,

Reidolv says that in only a few years, demand for movie studios in nearby countries has increased dramatically and film producers' interest in Estonia has also grown in recent years.

"Even the interest in Tartu and Tartu County is big. If a film studio is established in Tartu, it will definitely extend the film shooting periods in Tartu and Tartu County, or in Estonia in general, both for Estonian films and definitely for foreign films," said Reidolv.

She said the film studio would be named after Johannes Pääsuke because the Raadi flight hangars, where the studio is planned to be built, are historically the birthplace of Estonian film.

"In 1912 Johannes Pääsuke filmed the very first film shots in Estonia. These were shots of Sergei Utochkin's demonstration flight, and were taken at the end of April 1912 and were shown in Tartu cinemas. And now it is a lucky situation that the same property where these shots were taken belongs to the City of Tartu," Reidolv said.

Indrek Ranniku, head of the Tartu City Government's General Planning and Development Service, said that the idea is supported by the city government but it will not be the main investor if plans go ahead.

Reidolv said that if everything goes as planned, a film studio in Tartu could be completed by 2024. She said the concept plan is currently being put together and should be completed by next year.

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