- Occupation
Director - Country
Estonia
Simm Peeter
The Alchemist of Coal - A Film Around Jaan Kross
"Alchemist of Coal" tells us about dreams and destiny of a man. At the same time, it tells us about destiny of one generation of people in Estonia. Jaan Kross (1920) is the grand old man of conteporary Estonian literature, who graduated from Tartu University in 1944 as a lawyer, and subsequently involved as journalist and translator. In 1944 he was arrested and accused of conspiracy against the occupying German forces. During 1948-1951 he was imprisoned in the autonomous Komi Republic, and from 1951-1954 lived in exile in the Krasnoyarsk region. After returning home he dedicated his life to literature as a free-lance writer and translator. His internationaly recognized novels represent important historical figures in Estonian cultural history. Jaan Kross has won numerous Estonian and international prizes. He is an honorary doctor of Tartu University and of Helsinki University. He has published 33 books, and his works have been translated into 20 languages. Jaan Kross has been a mominated for the Nobel Literary Prize several times.
On the Other Side of Leprosy
Ülo Kirs, born in Saaremaa in 1926, was only a 4 years old boy when his mother was diagnosed as having leprosy and taken away to be kept in leprosarium. In 1945, he fought with the Germans in the 2nd World War, and at the age of 20 was building Becker Harbor in Tallin as a Soviet prisoner of war. An illusory freedom arrived when Ülo got infected with leprosy and was taken from the prison to leprosarium in Kuuda - the same one where his mother was. In 1963, after a serious argument with the head of the leprosarium, he was transferred to Talsi leprosarium in Latvia, where he has been staying till today. The second person featured in the film is a medical worker Anne Sarv who has dedicated her life to helping and caring for people diagnosed with leprosy.
Georg
“Georg” tells the true story of Estonia’s most famous and loved singer GEORG OTS (1920-1975) and his fate in his artistic as well as private life. The exceptionally talented singer remained unknown on opera stages around the world. In addition to his Estonian fans, he found adoration only among the audiences of Russia and Finland. Those were the times. The Soviet regime found him suspicious. The film tells the singer’s story; speaks of his fate, formed by complicated years full of change. It’s a personal story – one of love, intrigue, and family.
"Alchemist of Coal" tells us about dreams and destiny of a man. At the same time, it tells us about destiny of one generation of people in Estonia. Jaan Kross (1920) is the grand old man of conteporary Estonian literature, who graduated from Tartu University in 1944 as a lawyer, and subsequently involved as journalist and translator. In 1944 he was arrested and accused of conspiracy against the occupying German forces. During 1948-1951 he was imprisoned in the autonomous Komi Republic, and from 1951-1954 lived in exile in the Krasnoyarsk region. After returning home he dedicated his life to literature as a free-lance writer and translator. His internationaly recognized novels represent important historical figures in Estonian cultural history. Jaan Kross has won numerous Estonian and international prizes. He is an honorary doctor of Tartu University and of Helsinki University. He has published 33 books, and his works have been translated into 20 languages. Jaan Kross has been a mominated for the Nobel Literary Prize several times.
On the Other Side of Leprosy
Ülo Kirs, born in Saaremaa in 1926, was only a 4 years old boy when his mother was diagnosed as having leprosy and taken away to be kept in leprosarium. In 1945, he fought with the Germans in the 2nd World War, and at the age of 20 was building Becker Harbor in Tallin as a Soviet prisoner of war. An illusory freedom arrived when Ülo got infected with leprosy and was taken from the prison to leprosarium in Kuuda - the same one where his mother was. In 1963, after a serious argument with the head of the leprosarium, he was transferred to Talsi leprosarium in Latvia, where he has been staying till today. The second person featured in the film is a medical worker Anne Sarv who has dedicated her life to helping and caring for people diagnosed with leprosy.
Georg
“Georg” tells the true story of Estonia’s most famous and loved singer GEORG OTS (1920-1975) and his fate in his artistic as well as private life. The exceptionally talented singer remained unknown on opera stages around the world. In addition to his Estonian fans, he found adoration only among the audiences of Russia and Finland. Those were the times. The Soviet regime found him suspicious. The film tells the singer’s story; speaks of his fate, formed by complicated years full of change. It’s a personal story – one of love, intrigue, and family.
East Silver Caravan - 2005