A Girl From Tallinn
If you think the past is dead... Think again.
Ivan is a middle-aged businessman with a criminal past who lives in Kyiv just before the beginning of a full-scale war. Entangled in a complicated case involving political issues, he suddenly meets a mysterious young woman who looks frighteningly similar to the girl he was in love with many years ago. He starts his own investigation, which brings back memories of his youth in Estonia's underworld in the Roaring Nineties.
Meanwhile, in a forest near Tallinn, police find the remains of a woman who was killed around thirty years ago. Two storylines intertwine into a weird pattern, where the past haunts the present and death is definitely not the end.
Director's note
At its core, A Girl from Tallinn is a story about redemption and the possibility of a second chance. What interests me is the moral question behind the mystery: can a person truly escape the consequences of their past, and what does it take to face the mistakes that have shaped an entire life?
The psychological dimension is central to the series. Ivan is confronted with a past he believed was buried, while Anna's investigation forces both the characters and the audience to question what is memory, what is guilt and what is truth. The possibility that Maria's return may have a rational explanation – or may be something else entirely – is what gives the story its unsettling quality.
Visually, I want the series to move away from ordinary contemporary realism. The camera will remain fluid and intimate, combining extreme close-ups with unexpectedly wide compositions. Dramatic lighting, deep shadows and carefully chosen locations will create a contemporary Nordic noir atmosphere, while the two timelines will have their own distinct visual identities.
Biography
Ilmar Raag is the writer and director of the most successful film ever made in Estonia - "Class" (2007), which was sold to 91 countries, received a national Oscar nomination, won 25 awards from 70 festivals, and developed into a successful multi-awarded TV-series. Ilmar’s filmography also includes „Une Estonienne à Paris“ (Locarno FF, Estonia-France-Belgium, 2012), „Kertu. Love Is Blind“ (Warsaw FF, 2013) and „I Won’t Come Back“ (Tribeca FF, Nora Ephron Jury Special Mention, Estonia-Russia-Finland-Kazakhstan, 2014). Ilmar has an MA in screenwriting from Ohio University and has worked as an expert for EURIMAGES and MEDIA Plus and Member of the Board of Directors of Estonian Film Foundation, and professor of Liberal Arts in Tartu University. Ilmar is also an acclaimed columnist in the biggest dailies, lecturer and requested media consultant, in 2016-2017 he participated in the UN mission MINUSMA in Republic of Mali as interpreter.
Producer's note
A Girl from Tallinn has been a six-year journey from the first stages of development to its final realisation. Bringing together three countries – Estonia, Ukraine and Bulgaria – the series is the result of an ambitious international collaboration built on a complex financing structure and a shared creative vision.
Filmed predominantly in Ukraine during the ongoing war, with approximately a quarter of the production shot in Tallinn, the series brings together some of the finest creative and technical talent from all three countries.
The project has been made possible through the contributions of our co-production partners and the support of broadcasters ERR, Go3 and Nova, alongside Film Estonia, Creative Europe MEDIA and the Bulgarian National Film Center.
A Girl from Tallinn is in the final stages of post-production and is scheduled to premiere on the Go3 platform in January 2027.
Biography
Jevgeni Supin is Estonian producer, owner of Zolba Productions (360 Media OÜ). Establishing himself as an independent producer in 2013, Jevgeni’s work has spanned a wide spectrum, from broadcast content to feature films and stage plays. Beyond his production endeavours, Jevgeni for five years helmed the TV Beats Forum, a conference and co-financing market hosted by the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. In recent years, Jevgeni has ventured onto the international arena and is currently spearhea
Biography
Kateryna is a UK-based Ukrainian independent producer with a passion for co-productions. She served as Head of Development and Co-pros at FILM.UA (Ukraine) and executive produced content across all genres (TV series, features, factual). Kateryna’s credits include Canal+ Original MOLOCH (Czech Republic - Slovakia - Ukraine co-pro, currently in post), THOSE WHO STAYED, co-produced with NRK (Norway), SVT (Sweden) and YLE (Finland), factual series CITIZENS AT WAR (Australia – UK – Ukraine co-pro).