Autumn Ball
Original title: Sügisball
World premiere: Venice Film Festival (Orizzonti)
Based on the novel Autumn Ball by Mati Unt
How close can we get to others? Is it possible to live a life completely devoid of love? Can someone who has experienced just how fragile shared happiness can be ever trust another person again? What can be said about life anyway?
A selection of moments from the lives of six people living in a vast, sprawling conurbation of Soviet-era tower blocks. The gently stylised and indifferent world of Autumn Ball is steadily advancing towards winter and offers no answers to these questions. What this world can demonstrate, though, is the possibility of laughter even where hope has long since become a scarce commodity. Autumn Ball is not exactly a comedy, but it won’t hurt you to go and see it anyway.
Crew
Written and directed by: Veiko Õunpuu
Producer: Katrin Kissa
Cinematographer: Mart Taniel
Production designer: Ain Nurmela
Costume designers: Helen Ehandi, Jaanus Orgussaar
Make-up designer: Kaire Hendrikson
Editors: Veiko Õunpuu, Tambet Tasuja
Sound designer: Janne Laine
Composer: Ülo Krigul
Poster design: Aadam Kaarma
Cast
Rain Tolk, Taavi Eelmaa, Juhan Ulfsak, Maarja Jakobson, Tiina Tauraite, Sulevi Peltola, Mirtel Pohla
Production companies
Homeless Bob Production (EE)
Kuukulgur Film (EE)
Festivals
Venice Film Festival. Venice, Italy
Warsaw International Film Festival. Warsaw, Poland
Filmfest Hamburg. Hamburg, Germany
Festival du Nouveau Cinéma. Montréal, Canada
Viennale – Vienna International Film Festival. Vienna, Austria
Stockholm International Film Festival. Stockholm, Sweden
Chicago International Film Festival. Chicago, USA
AFI Fest Los Angeles International Film Festival. Los Angeles, USA
Thessaloniki International Film Festival. Thessaloniki, Greece
LEFFEST – Lisbon & Estoril Film Festival. Lisbon & Estoril, Portugal
PÖFF – Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Tallinn, Estonia
IFFR – International Film Festival Rotterdam. Rotterdam, Netherlands
Tromsø International Film Festival. Tromsø, Norway
EU Film Festival. Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Canada
Philadelphia Film Festival. Philadelphia, USA
goEast – Festival of Central and Eastern European Film. Wiesbaden, Germany
Sodankylä Midnight Sun Film Festival. Sodankylä, Finland
Moscow International Film Festival. Moscow, Russia
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic
Love and Anarchy – Helsinki International Film Festival. Helsinki, Finland
Selected awards and nominations
Venice International Film Festival. Orizzonti Competition. Grand Prix
Thessaloniki International Film Festival. Best Director (Veiko Õunpuu)
International Film Festival Bratislava. Best Director (Veiko Õunpuu)
Marrakech International Film Festival. Grand Prix
LEFFEST – Lisbon & Estoril Film Festival. Special Critics Award
PÖFF – Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Jury Special Award. Jury Award for Best Actress (Maarja Jakobson). Scottish Leader Estonian Film Award. FICC Jury Award – Don Quixote Prize. Estonian Film Journalists Association Award. Postimees Jury Award
Estonian Cultural Endowment Awards. Best Film for Autumn Ball Creative Collective (Veiko Õunpuu, Mart Taniel, Ülo Krigul, Katrin Kissa)
Neitsi Maali – Estonian Film Journalists Association. Film of the Year Award (shared with Sulev Keedus' documentary Jonathan from Australia)
Brussels International Independent Film Festival. Grand Prix
Cinema Jove – Valencia International Film Festival. Valencia Golden Moon
TIFF – Transilvania International Film Festival. Best Cinematography (Mart Taniel)
European First Film Festival. Best Original Music (Ülo Krigul)
Riga International Film Festival. Best Feature Film
Warsaw International Film Festival. Nominated for Best Film
