Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Estonian Film Archive / Eesti Filmiarhiiv

We made a day congress trip to Tallinn on the M/S Nordlandia of the Eckerö Line and had the opportunity to visit the impressive premises of the Estonian Film Archive at Ristiku 84, led by the director, Ms. Ivi Tomingas. They are going full speed ahead digitizing their film heritage on a 4K scanner and have also achieved a lot in making accessible much of the Estonian image and sound heritage. The relatively young archive has risen fast to become a top establishment. Fascinating samples of their collections are accessible online at the Estonian Film Archive website. A special frisson at Ristiku 84 is that it is a former Soviet era military prison, and there are prison cells still at the basement. No longer in active use, we could observe, except as a memorial of a dark period. The day was mostly beautiful, and there was about an hour to explore the Old City, teeming with tourists. The medieval buildings have been lovingly restored, and since Estonia joined the Euro, it is easier than before to compare the prices, which are still more affordable than in Finland, although they keep rising.

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