CEEA Talks: Edith Sepp (Estonian Film Institute): “It doesn’t help to talk about making fire”

Seven dwarves toil and chop day in, day out in the mine in search of diamonds. Their successes are based on expertise and skill, and on endless patience. Should SNOW WHITE have been made in Estonia, the scenario would have looked very different. Then the dwarves would simply have been given a leaflet and a map: ‘Where to find diamonds’, presumably from the hands of Edith Sepp, Head of the Estonian Film Institute (EFI), who makes straightforwardness her trademark. Straightforwardness and wit.

The slogan on the leaflet that you’re distributing sounds very Estonian: “How to find money in Estonia” … You don’t beat around the bush, do you?

Edith Sepp: You can wrap things up nicely and speak about art and culture, but in the end, it’s money that people are looking for. Estonians are brought up in a cold climate, so it doesn’t help to talk about making fire. You just have to go and light it.

What you do is set the entire forest on fire! In many CEEA countries – like Yugoslavia or Czechoslovakia – animation for a long time stood in the shadow of what once used to be. In your case, that means: in the shadow of animation during the Russian occupation.

Sepp: The first Estonian animation dates to the times when Disney made its first films, during the first Estonian Republic in the 1930s, as soon as technology allowed. All Estonian animated characters from those days show strong similarities with what the Americans and Germans were doing. During Soviet times, new technology and extra funds were made available, which boosted our animation industry; we used those opportunities to make it flourish.

Your filmmakers are not burdened by an inferiority complex that they will never be as good as the old masters?

Sepp: Films like FLOW are made by young filmmakers, and it’s not weighing them down. Latvia has been setting the example, now it’s up to us to follow. You remember what was said when the Latvians won the Oscar: Estonia, now the ball is in your court. We might indeed have put our faith in our traditional studios for too long.

Which studios would that be?

Sepp: Eesti Joonisfilm and Nukufilm. Now the challenge is to keep the tradition alive but have it evolving at the same pace as other countries. Otherwise, we might face the risk of seeing our animation being dragged down.

Artistically, or in terms of business models being used?

Sepp: One of our main concerns is how to keep Nukufilm alive. They have been hugely important for our stop-motion tradition, and we respect them for that, but how are they able to keep paying the rent? We’re convincing those filmmakers to start considering new business models; this is the 21st century, but the studio is still tailored to meticulous set building and crafting puppets – with minimal digital intervention – to preserve the traditional art of puppet animation. I’m sure animation companies from around the world would be willing to make use of those services, but various options are on the table to make Nukufilm a more modern and flexible company with a more versatile approach.

How is your connection with the animation industry established on an everyday level?

Sepp: One expert in the EFI is working exclusively with animation. Peep Pedmanson – a true hands-on expert – represents the voice of animation. We engage in discussions about funding and policies, and quite often lose ourselves in reflections on the evolution of animation.

Why should people co-produce with Estonia?

Sepp: Because we are flexible, we are fast, and we are orientated towards new technologies; we are innovative. These are the main reasons. The support for the animation industry from the EFI and the Cultural Endowment contains 20 à 23% of our entire film production budget. And our tax rebate system is very efficient, welcoming animation films and series. We try to think from a producer’s point of view: how to make things easy for them and not burden them with rigid regulations. We don’t want producers to get a nervous breakdown – we want them to be happy while producing in Estonia. And we speak with them directly. Estonia is a small country; everyone is not more than one phone call away.

Indeed, your phone number is on the website.

Sepp: Let me tell you a story. A while ago, I received a call at home, after office hours. The person on the phone introduced himself as producer X and suggested we should meet in two hours at the Hilton Hotel. I went there, not having the slightest clue of who he was – American, a bit arrogant, but his name didn’t ring a bell. He started asking all sorts of questions about locations, permits, facilities,… but he didn’t mention which project he was representing. His main concern was how reliable we were. I assured him we were very reliable! Afterwards, I did my research, made a few calls, and found out this was about Christopher Nolan’s new film. A few weeks later, the crew came to scout locations, and the rest is history. Warner Bros. and Christopher Nolan spent several weeks in Estonia shooting TENET. In our small world, you’d better have your number on that website, and pick up the phone – because you never know who might be calling.

It could have been me! But probably not calling you from the Hilton.

Sepp: Still I would have picked up. But not sure if I would show up.

Would the other Baltic States be your first partners to look at for co-producing?

Sepp: A painful question, having just let FLOW pass us by, despite the rumour that one company might have been considered… Estonians’ first co-production partner would probably be Finland, because of the language and cultural similarities. We’re very much alike in our approach towards life, like being slow…

Why slow?

Sepp: I don’t know. Ask the Latvians; they always tell anecdotes about us being slow. For us it’s easy to work with Scandinavians. While Latvians and Lithuanians more easily co-produce together.

Is that why the Baltic Film Fund never was a big success?

Sepp: That isn’t exactly the cause. Creating a regional Baltic Film & TV Fund would be a step forward for the three Baltic nations, supporting project development together. But to make such a fund work, we need new money. Not the money we already have in our budgets, but totally new money and therefore, the decision is unavoidably political. Bringing three poor film funds together does not suddenly create one rich film fund.

National film institutes also have a responsibility in talent development.

Sepp: We do! We feel blessed with our wonderful Baltic Film & Media School, and also the Estonian Academy of Arts has an Animation Department. After Priit Pärn, Ülo Pikkov is now running the department, where new generations of international animation directors are being raised. The role of the EFI might be more in assisting directors – not only animation directors – while they jump from one project to another, making sure they don’t fall out of work in between. We try to find ways for them to further develop their skills and take them to international markets, festivals, and platforms to broaden their perspective.

One of those platforms could be CEEA.

Sepp: I always listen to what the animators tell me, and it was them who wanted me to come and meet with CEEA. They smelled something boiling in this kettle and wanted us to join.

And you didn’t go unnoticed.

Sepp: I think CEEA is doing a great job, taking so much administration on their shoulders. If they would approach me as business partners, I would trust them.

As an organisation, they focus on Central and East Europe. How would you, representing a Baltic state, connect to that mission?

Sepp: Perhaps geographically we’re Baltic, but Estonians see themselves as culturally Nordic. We belong to the Finno-Ugric people and language group, and their mindset and values are important to us. The perception might be that Estonia is not exactly Central Europe, so it must be Eastern. But we’re not! We don’t feel part of that world, and defining us as “Eastern Europeans” wouldn’t be correct.

I’ve run out of questions, but maybe Nataša Bučar, Director of the Slovenian Film Centre and sitting here with us, has one more question for you…

Nataša Bučar: I do! We all have national audiovisual regulations to arrange our work, but not Estonia. How come you are one of the rare nations that doesn’t have a film law?

Sepp: Just to reassure you: we do have laws in Estonia. But we try to keep it simple, so we prefer ‘regulations’. Because we believe in talking to each other, and in flexibility. This allows us to react fast to market changes. The Estonian film sector is behind this idea of not having a law – maybe a mutual agreement with the state, backed by the parliament, but laws are strict and binding, and not adaptable to market situations. That’s why we have to keep on talking – I strongly believe in dialogue.

Interview conducted by Gert Hermans for CEE Animation.