The latest film by Anna Hints and Tushar Prakash had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024 and is now ready to enchant audiences at Tartuff!
The 13-minute short film will be screened in early August in the largest open-air cinema in Estonia, on Tartu Town Hall Square.
Anna Hints and Tushar Prakash's film Sauna Day (Sannapäiv) takes the viewer into the dark and intimate space of an old Estonian sauna with men after a long and tiring day at work. As their sauna session progresses, a subtle and secret longing for intimacy begins to emerge from beneath their hard surfaces.
"A strong contender for the best Estonian films of the year," wrote Tristan Priimägi after the premiere at the 78th Cannes Film Festival.
Shot in Võru County, the film is inspired by Anna Hints' documentary Smoke Sauna Sisterhood , starring Rasmus Kaljujärv and Agur Seim. The film was shot by Ants Tammik, with artwork by Inga Vares and editing by Emeri Abel. The film is produced by Johanna Maria Paulson and Evelin Penttilä (Stellar Film studio).
According to the film's authors, the fact that Sauna Day is being screened for the first time in Estonia, in the European Capital of Culture Tartu - their home town - is more than they could have dreamed. "We hope that since the journey is not far, relatives, friends and locals from Võroma and Setomaa, who helped to make the film, will also be able to attend the screening. The smoke sauna continues to be an inspiring place for us to explore human relationships, intimacy and vulnerability," say Hints and Prakash.
The production of the film has been supported by the Tartu Film Fund.
This year's PÖFF Love Film Festival Tartuff will take place from 5 to 10 August at Tartu Town Hall Square and Tartu Elektriteater. As always, all the screenings are free of charge.
The full programme will be announced in mid-July.
The festival is organised by the Black Nights Film Festival and presented by Elisa. The latter contributes to the sustainable survival of Estonian culture by creating and offering home-grown audiovisual productions and by supporting film art.
