Just Film Works in Progress
Morten
Morten (15) is a modest boy who, one spring, suddenly has to choose between two very different girls.
Morten is a 15-year-old boy who lives with his uncle Urmas and a one-eyed cat in a crumbling farmhouse in a forest village. His mother works in Finland to save money for their future home, and Morten has never heard anything about his father.
One day, everything changes when two girls enter his life: Emilie, the first person Morten ever dares to truly open up to, and Miia – a girl who, by all logic, shouldn’t care about someone like him, yet somehow does. As their paths intertwine, Morten finds himself caught between friendship, love, and the strange pull of something much deeper.
Main country of production
Estonia
Director's note
"Morten" is a coming-of-age youth drama about love and self-discovery. While the story captures the everyday romance and first relationships of adolescence, it also draws on a mystical atmosphere – largely thanks to its swamp setting and the mysterious appearance of Emilie, the spirit girl.
The film is primarily aimed at young audiences, though adults will hopefully also recognise themselves in it. For me, the fragile inner world of a young person, the mysterious sense of timelessness, and the social realities of today beautifully collide in this story. It intertwines motifs of youth's everyday life with elements of folklore, while also touching on the subject of young people's mental health.
Every character in the story is searching for an anchor in life. Morten tries to find his place in the world and understand his emotions. Emilie, who finds her soulmate in Morten, longs for peace. Urmas and Morten's mother, Ulvi, are also trying to rebuild their lives, burdened by a complicated past. Deep down, Miia wants to believe that true love exists – though her parents' example offers little hope.
At the beginning of the film, Morten feels like an outsider. His family's financial struggles and his friends' wealth make him feel inferior. Growing up without a father, he tries to understand what love really is – he wants to be loved, to know if he matters at all. When he meets Emilie and Miia, he begins to feel needed and valued. Yet love and life come with setbacks. Over the course of the film, Morten must learn to navigate his emotions, make sense of the adult world, and ultimately learn to let go.
The film uses strong metaphors: death and life meet in the characters of Emilie and Morten, forming a poetic symbol. The small village and the big city create a striking visual contrast, while analogue and mobile photography reflect generational differences. Together, these elements build a unique cinematic language.
The camera work and editing mirror Morten's inner experiences, while sound design conveys his emotional world across contrasting environments. The city and home are noisy and crowded; in the swamp, silence and the sounds of nature take over. The film's music will blend two genres – contemporary electronic music familiar to young audiences and Estonian folk music with female vocals – to highlight the meeting of two worlds. Magical realism will also be subtly enhanced through visual effects, such as the moment when Morten's hand passes through Emilie's.
As a director, I believe what makes this story special are its empathetic main characters, its gentle use of magical realism, and its rich, textured locations. Emilie's story adds emotional depth and offers a fresh perspective on the reality of today's youth.
Producer's note
'Morten' is a feature film aimed at young audiences, based on Reeli Reinaus's award-winning novel of the same name, published in 2020 and translated into several languages.
The film targets a young audience — the main characters are 14–15 years old — and features young people of the same age as its intended viewers. The story unfolds in parallel between modern Tallinn and a rural area outside the forest, on the edge of a swamp.
The main cast was chosen through an extensive casting process.
'Morten' is the debut feature of Ivan Pavljutškov, and we wanted to keep it primarily an Estonian production. However, we are very happy that it became a co-production with Lithuania, where most of the post-production creative team is based in Vilnius.
During Baltic Event, we hope to find a suitable sales agent and introduce the film to various festivals, with the goal of participating in their 2026 programmes.
Subjects:
first love, coming of age
Ivan Pavljutškov, born on March 17, 1988, in Tallinn, Estonia, is a filmmaker with a strong background in both academic training and professional broadcast work. He completed his secondary education at VK Private Gymnasium in 2007. He then pursued his higher education at the Baltic Film and Media School, earning his Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Audiovisual Media in 2011, and subsequently a Master of Arts (MA) in Directing in 2014. Pavljutškov has participated in several international and local training programs, including the Berlinale Talent Campus (Germany, 2013), the Scanorama Film Forum (Lithuania, 2013), and the Summer Media Studio Workshop (Lithuania, 2008). More recently, he attended a Directing Intensive with Jeremy Kagan and a CBI workshop with Robert Marchand (both in Estonia, 2018). His professional career includes working as a Lecturer at the BFM Children's Film School (2014–2015) and serving as a Director for the Estonian Public Broadcaster ERR (ETV+) from 2014 to 2022.
Anneli Ahven studied German studies at the Estonian University of Humanities and film production at the Film Studies of the University of Hamburg, Germany. Her professional career in film began in 1995 when she started working for the Estonian production company Exitfilm. Since 2002, she has worked as a producer for both feature and documentary films. In 2006, she founded her own production company, Kopli Kinokompanii. Anneli Ahven is an active member of the Association of Estonian Film Producers and the European Film Academy. She is also an Associate Professor and the Head of Production Studies at the Baltic Film and Media School. Her industry recognition includes being selected as a Producer On The Move 2010, an initiative during the Cannes Film Festival, and being an ACE Producer (ACE27) from 2017–2018.