Haapsalu festival serving up fresh Estonian horror and sci-fi flicks

"Õudne Eesti" returns as the Haapsalu Horror and Fantasy Film Festival (HÕFF) spotlights films by four young Estonian genre filmmakers, from sci-fi to folklore.
Matiias Viiking Ojaveski's darkly funny mockumentary "Eat, Prey, Bird" follows Ringvar, who is convinced seagulls are taking over the world.
An offshoot of a student film by the same name and inspired by early-90s Estonian TV documentaries, it marks Ojaveski's first solo directorial work since graduating from the Baltic Film, Media and Arts School (BFM) at Tallinn University (TLÜ).
"Dead of the Dead," directed by Strange Film Festival (IFF) cofounder Julius Kits, is a surreal B-horror that blurs reality and fiction. It continues his HÕFF-screened Nazi zombie series, the third installment following "Reich of the Dead" and "Reich of the Reich."
Sci-fi fans can catch BFM film student Martin Koldits' "Ikaros," in which a spacecraft returning from a noble gas mining mission in 2084 hits a series of mishaps, leaving one crew member stranded outside the ship.
Anna Veisman's folklore horror short "Eyes of the Forest" premiered in the PÖFF Shorts competition last year. Set in an 18th century Estonian village, Elo must figure out whether the real danger comes from forest spirits or other villagers.
It's Veisman's first solo film after graduating from the audiovisual media program at BFM last year.
All "Õudne Eesti" films will also be competing for the Best Estonian Short Genre Film title, judged by a youth jury from Haapsalu.
This year's jury includes Läänemaa Joint High School students Oskar Kariste, Renate Karm, Patrik Rainer Kaljula, Liisa Väli and Hardi Vinkelberg.
HÕFF runs April 30–May 2 in Haapsalu.
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Editor: Kaspar Viilup, Aili Vahtla









