Christopher Vourlias Estonia received a splashy introduction to the limelight in 2019, when it played host to Christopher Nolan’s time-bending sci-fi drama “Tenet.” The biggest production to shoot in the Baltic nation to date, Warner Bros.’ $200 million blockbuster landed Estonia squarely on the map for international film and television productions.Though the coronavirus pandemic arrived not long after principal photography wrapped, the industry hasn’t skipped a beat since, with both domestic and international production — drawn by a cash rebate of up to 30% —continuing apace.
This year, says Estonian Film Institute CEO Edith Sepp, there are no signs of slowing down.“The Estonian cash rebate has been booming more than ever in the first half of this year,” she says. “In the whole of 2021, we had seven projects using the cash rebate scheme, but by January this year, we already had eight projects lined up for the rebate and the year had barely started.” Spillover from the growing volume of high-end TV production in neighboring Scandinavia has led to a surge in co-production and servicing work for Estonian producers, says Riina Sildos, of the production outfit Amrion Oü.
The company’s slate includes the ambitious eight-part drama series “Estonia,” produced by Beta Nordic Studio’s Finnish banner Fisher King, in co-production with Swedish Kärnfilm and Panache Production Belgium, which is being sold globally by Beta Film.Ivo Felt of Allfilm, which provided production services on “Tenet,” serviced several Scandinavian TV series in the past year.
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