Estonia is an exceptional destination for your next film project. While many countries have stunning locations and a strong tradition of providing top-notch services to the film industry, Estonia has some extras. In addition to excellent support systems, the country has a great aspiration for innovative solutions, cutting-edge technology, and a film-friendly environment, making it a standout choice for filmmakers.
Estonia is located in North-Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Latvia and Russia. Estonia, and its capital Tallinn, is a short trip away from Helsinki, Finland – 80 km by ferry or 30 minutes by plane. Other nearby capitals include Stockholm in Sweden and Riga in Latvia. Russia’s St. Petersburg is a mere 400 km or 245 miles away. Estonia’s close ties with neighbouring countries improve the availability of cast, crew and equipment. Estonia has been a member of the European Union since 2004. Estonia belongs to the Schengen Area so we have open borders with the rest of Europe. Also Brits, Americans, Canadians and Australians can enter visa-free. For visa requirements and travel documents for other nationalities, visit the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia. As the first country to offer e-Residency, Estonia is well known for its e-services and Wi-Fi networks covering almost 100% of the country. Even the most remote locations in Estonia offer good connectivity.
Estonia has an area of 45,000 square kilometres, or 17,500 square miles, making it about the size of Denmark or the Netherlands, bigger than Taiwan, or slightly less than the U.S. states of Vermont and New Hampshire combined. About half of the Estonian mainland is covered by forests, the country has more than 700 km of coastline and a terrestrial border of over 600 km, over 1,500 islands and more than 1,500 lakes.
Currency: Euro Time Zone: GMT +2
Capital: Tallinn
Area: 45 227 km 2 Coastline: 768 km
Population: 1.32 million
Official language: Estonian, English widely spoken
Islands: More than 1500
Lakes: More than 1500
Forest: Half of the mainland
Estonia has a temperate climate with four seasons and often enjoys an especially beautiful, white winter with generous snowfall similar to Scandinavia. Estonian winters have thick, white snow during the months of December – February, a lovely springtime nature slowly turns green and then bursts into bloom from March to May.
The summers boast white nights with 20 hours of daylight between sunrise and sunset from June to August and the autumn months are colourful with golden colours from September until the beginning of November. Southeast Estonia has a more continental climate since it is the farthest from the sea. This is where winter temperatures can drop to -35°C and snow coverage is the thickest and most beautiful.
Estonia's film industry is on the rise. The recent success of local film production, Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for Tangerines (2014), Golden Globe nomination for The Fencer (2015), Academy Award shortlist for Truth and Justice (2019), a rapidly growing number of production service projects for internationally renowned companies (Warner Bros.) and acknowledgement of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival as an A-category film festival is proof of the talent, quality and commitment of the local film industry.
Source:Estonian Film Institute
Photos: Visit Estonia, Nafta