21/02/2017 - The National Estonian Film and Television Awards will be handed out for the first time ever on 12 March

Director of the Estonian Film Institute Edith Sepp

The National Estonian Film and Television Awards (EFTA) are due to be handed out for the first time ever this year, on 12 March. EFTA prizes will be given out across 12 film categories – Best Film, Best Documentary, Best Short Film (including short docs), Best Animation, Best Cinematographer, Best Director, Best Screenwriter, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Artist/Set Designer, Best Editor and Best Sound Editor.

This represents a significant step up for the Estonians, who were formerly the only country in the region not to have national film awards, finally bringing them up to speed with the Finnish Jussis, Latvian Kristaps and Lithuanian Silver Cranes. So far, the only prizes established within the film sector have been the Estonian Film Journalists’ Association’s annual awards for the best film, the Neitsi Maali (“Virgin Maali”) Award, and the prizes given out by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia. “Filmmakers have waited a long time for this kind of recognition,” says producer Ivo Felt. The director of the Estonian Film Institute, Edith Sepp, says she is optimistic that this will turn out to be a long-lasting and significant tradition: “We’ve seen a lot of positive excitement both in the film and the TV industry in Estonia, so we can certainly say it’s a much-anticipated event,” she said. 

EFTA is organised in partnership between the Estonian Film Institute, the Ministry of Culture of Estonia, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia and the Eesti Meedia media group.