
Directing
Leida Laius
Born 1923-03-23 · Moscow, Russian Empire [now Russia]
Leida Laius (March 26, 1923 – April 6, 1996, in Tallinn) was an Estonian film director. In 1950 she graduated from Estonian State Theatre Institute. In 1962 she graduated from All-Union State Institute of Cinematography. Since 1960 she worked at Tallinnfilm.
Acting credits
Behind the camera
5.7A baron gives a poor peasant a well-paid job of a milkman but for reward he has to accept his beloved girl going to the mansion from time to time. Does the wealth outweigh the honor and conscience?
The Milkman of Mäeküla
1965
7.0During the German occupation of Estonia a young mother finds a Red Army soldier hiding in the hay in her barn.
From Evening Till Morning
1962
6.7There are three children growing at Tammaru farm - one boy, Margus; and two orphan girls, Mari and Tiina. Margus' parents want him to marry Mari instead of Tiina as she is more their kind. Hotblooded Tiina is completely different from them and her mother was once executed for being a witch. Thinking that Tiina has bewitched Margus, Mari starts to publicly accuse her stepsister of being a werewolf.
Werewolf
1969
6.7There are three children growing at Tammaru farm - one boy, Margus; and two orphan girls, Mari and Tiina. Margus' parents want him to marry Mari instead of Tiina as she is more their kind. Hotblooded Tiina is completely different from them and her mother was once executed for being a witch. Thinking that Tiina has bewitched Margus, Mari starts to publicly accuse her stepsister of being a werewolf.
Werewolf
1969
5.2Based on the novel “Ukuaru” by Veera Saar, a story about Minna, a young woman who has to make choices in the name of her true love, home, and the continuation of life.
Spring in the Forest
1974
6.116-year-old Mari, raised without a mother by a drunkard father, is put in an orphanage which she immediately, though unsuccessfully, tries to flee from. The sensitive Mari finds it hard to adapt to the coarse manners and brutal games amongst the children. Only gradually does she develop a sense for the similarly difficult fates of her fellow sufferers, who have long forgotten how to cry. She even falls in love for the first time, not with her self-appointed “protector” Tauri, but with the rough-mannered Robi.
Smile at Last
1985
4.1Anna, the daughter of an elderly owner of Kõrboja farm, is told by her father that if she won't move in their home farm then it will be sold to strangers. But the farm needs also a master, and Anna has been living in town for years. She comes back home and reunites with Villu, her friend from childhood.
The Master of Kõrboja
1980
4.1Anna, the daughter of an elderly owner of Kõrboja farm, is told by her father that if she won't move in their home farm then it will be sold to strangers. But the farm needs also a master, and Anna has been living in town for years. She comes back home and reunites with Villu, her friend from childhood.
The Master of Kõrboja
1980
4.5A mother released from a prison camp in Russia finds her son, but realises that reconciliation is impossible.
Stolen Meeting
1989
NRA thoughtful and sad film about toddlers who spend their days or even weeks away from their mother and home, whether in a day nursery or a day group. The camera observes the great sadness of the small citizens and their subconscious attempts to adapt to a strange situation.
Childhood
1976
NRA thoughtful and sad film about toddlers who spend their days or even weeks away from their mother and home, whether in a day nursery or a day group. The camera observes the great sadness of the small citizens and their subconscious attempts to adapt to a strange situation.
Childhood
1976
NRA man and a woman are trying to solve a problem that is crucial to their relationship, but their ideas and beliefs have a different vision.
Hills Like White Elephants
1963
NRAnts Jõgi (1892-1983) is a dignified gentleman whose main profession in life has been acting. He also has a spirit of an artist and an artisan. The 85-year-old man is lonely and has to go to a retirement home. Director Leida Laius' documentary tells a story about the life and work of the old actor as well as contemplates on the true values of life, old man's connections to the present and the past. The thoughts of the wise old man are enchanting with their simplicity and warmth.
Tracks on Snow
1978
NRAnts Jõgi (1892-1983) is a dignified gentleman whose main profession in life has been acting. He also has a spirit of an artist and an artisan. The 85-year-old man is lonely and has to go to a retirement home. Director Leida Laius' documentary tells a story about the life and work of the old actor as well as contemplates on the true values of life, old man's connections to the present and the past. The thoughts of the wise old man are enchanting with their simplicity and warmth.
Tracks on Snow
1978
NRComing into this world is an important event in a person's life, perhaps the most important. The film purely and sincerely captures the moments of birth. In the 1970s, it was rare for filmmakers to be able to film in a maternity hospital. Director Leida Laius and cameraman Arvo Iho succeeded. What's more, the shots taken with a hidden camera are genuine, warm and humanly honest.
A Human is Born...
1976
NRAs a result of the initiative of the youth programme of Estonian Television, a phenomenon known as "Hometown" was born in Estonia in October 1975. Tens, hundreds, even thousands of schoolboys and schoolgirls gathered in the Tallinn old town on Sundays in order to work, explore the miracles of old town, to edit their own newspaper, to organize meetings, excursions etc.
Kind Hometown Spirits
1983
NRAs a result of the initiative of the youth programme of Estonian Television, a phenomenon known as "Hometown" was born in Estonia in October 1975. Tens, hundreds, even thousands of schoolboys and schoolgirls gathered in the Tallinn old town on Sundays in order to work, explore the miracles of old town, to edit their own newspaper, to organize meetings, excursions etc.
Kind Hometown Spirits
1983

