
Acting
Taavi Eelmaa
Born 1971-06-15 · Tallinn, Harju District, Estonian SSR, USSR [now Harju County, Estonia]
Taavi Eelmaa (born June 15, 1971) is an Estonian stage and film actor. Born and raised in Tallinn, he is the son of actor Aleksander Eelmaa and Reet Eelmaa. Taavi Eelmaa began studies at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, graduating in 1996. Among his graduating classmates were Karin Tammaru, Ain Prosa, René Reinumägi, Indrek Saar, Tarvo Sõmer, and Ardo Ran Varres. After graduating, he worked for six years at the Estonian Drama Theatre in Tallinn, and from 2002 to present at the Von Krahl Theatre in Tallinn. Eelmaa made his screen debut in 1993 in the Rainer Sarnet-directed short film Merehaigus (English: Seasickness) and has gone on to appear in roles in numerous Estonian films. Among his more memorable roles were as Theo in the 2007 Veiko Õunpuu-directed drama Sügisball (English: Autumn Ball), inspired by Estonian writer Mati Unt's novel of the same name, and as the title character in Õunpuu's 2009 black comedy Püha Tõnu kiusamine (English: The Temptation of St. Tony). The film was selected as Estonia's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards, but it didn't make the final shortlist. He has also appeared on television, most notably as the character Priit Post in the Kanal 2 crime series Kelgukoerad.
Acting credits
5.5When a nun in a remote convent claims immaculate conception, the Vatican sends a team of priests to investigate, concerned about an ancient prophecy that a woman will give birth to twin boys: one the Messiah, the other the Antichrist.
Deliver Us
2023
7.1In a poor Estonian village, a group of peasants use magic and folk remedies to survive the winter, and a young woman tries to get a young man to love her.
November
2017
NRThe mirror image of a pop star falls in love with the singer's wife and enters the world of people through the mirror. What to do if your own reflection becomes life-threatening to you?
Goodbye, My Love, Goodbye
1999
5.5A postman endeavors to fly to the moon in one breath so he can deliver a package.
Sky Song
2010
NRFilm about a woman who wishes to sell a house full of painful memories and about a real-estate broker whose life intertwines the woman's life. In a world that seemed to be empty they suddenly notice another person - someone who shares a similar destiny. Nothing takes the past away like the future.
Mälestuste Maja
2008
A black and gloomy comedically stylized film about a young ice cream seller, Roob, who, almost by chance and thanks to his 'multibusinessman' boss, happens to land the leading role in an underground porno film. Though the youngsters in the lead roles of the porno film realize that they have crossed the line that most of their fellow citizens might denounce as indecent, their helpless actions are somewhat pardoned by their curiosity and inexperience. The same cannot be said for the film crew, who are pragmatic and down-trodden and for whom there is no difference whether they are selling potatoes at the market or making a porno - as long as the money keeps rolling in.
Amateurs
2008
6.8Aliide experienced The Great Terror under Stalin’s regime, and decades after her hometown people were deported to Siberia, she lives alone in an isolated house. One night, she finds a young woman in her yard – Zara has just escaped from the claws of the Russian mafia that held her as a sex slave. Survivors both, Aliide and Zara engage in unearthing each other’s motives and gradually their stories merge into one, revealing the tragedy of a family during the cruelest years in Estonian history.
Purge
2012
NRA man decides to kill his wife because she can’t have children. He builds a stone house on the seashore and starts to grow maggots in it. When the maggots are as thick as a wrist, he invites his wife for a walk on the beach…
The Maggot Feeder
2012
4.5Tundra of Lapland, Finland. Rupi, a young man who fills his days dealing and drinking, works in a mine hoping to raise enough money to escape the desolate village where he lives.
The Last Ones
2020
9.0Three film segments.
Happy Landing
1999
4.0The creators of the legendary tango à trois reunite for an encore performance 25 years after breaking up. Determined to take on the night as if they had never aged they face the realities when their families arrive to join the audience.
Parquet
2021
6.9A mid-level manager who develops an aversion to being a good person questions his morality as he faces the challenges of middle age and loses control of his life.
The Temptation of St. Tony
2009
4.6The approaching baptism of his ex-wife's new baby destroys Antti's ability to function and puts him in catatonic state. Tuomas and Nippe take action to cheer him up and decide to take him on a singles cruise.
Reunion 3: Singles Cruise
2021
5.5Autumn in Estonia, where six people live, six solitudes, prisoners of the monotonous architecture of Soviet-era concrete buildings, in search of human companionship, of love, of a ray of light in an ocean of gray.
Autumn Ball
2007
5.7Unforgettable melodies, unique timbre and a memorable, soul-stirring voice. A mystery for women and authority for men, his talent was revered by the highest ranks of the Soviet Union and millions of ordinary people. Georg Ots took the stage when a huge country was recovering from the horrors of war, and his voice returned them faith in a bright future. Few people know what his life was really like.
Georg
2007
5.7Karina and Martin are in a pleasent relation where everyday life flows in an effortlessly accustomed way and no small misbehaviours can shake it’s rush. Life is good. Perhaps it’s this perfection and frequent patterns that make them finally pose a question – is everything to be expected in life? This is a story about following the yearning of your soul. Longing for something other than the present and having the courage to be deliberately lost.
Portugal
2018
6.6Diamantes Negros tells the long journey undertaken by two young boys from Mali who arrive in Spain after being persuaded to pursue their dream of escaping from poverty by becoming professional football players.
Black Diamonds
2013
5.4A young man tries to make sense of the world in the summer heat of late nineties Estonia.
The Days That Confused
2016
5.0A brilliant but misguided man feels that he has the right to decide who is worth their place on earth.
The Arbiter
2013
5.3CIA agents Palmer and Gagano are tasked with the perilous mission of destroying “The Soviet Union!" As they enter the system using a VR simulation, their mission quickly turns into a delirious trap, far more complex than expected, as the fabric of reality starts unraveling around them.
Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway
2020
8.0Hendrik is a responsible public servant who is deeply in love with his beautiful wife Evelin. Evelin, however, finds their protected life boring; she wants Hendrik to do something more exciting. When he returns from his business trip, Hendrik will find his schoolmate Berg in their balcony and will furiously throw his gloves to Berg's face. Soon it will turn out that this has been the challenge accepted.
An Affair of Honor
1999
6.3Retroband Evergreen's reunion party is ruined when Viktor, who was once the band's frontman, threatens to blow the house up for revenge of his sad destiny.
Golden Beach
2006
6.6A family comedy about a 7-year-old boy, who's a devoted viking fan.
Ruudi
2006
4.8A teenage girl has problems with her family and life when her little brother is born with a heart problem.
Where Souls Go
2007
Behind the camera
4.2An anthology of one-minute films created by 51 international filmmakers on the theme of the death of cinema. Intended as an ode to 35mm, the film was screened one time only on a purpose-built 20x12 meter public cinema screen in the Port of Tallinn, Estonia, on 22 December 2011. A special projector was constructed for the event which allowed the actual filmstrip to be burnt at the same time as the film was shown.
60 Seconds of Solitude in Year Zero
2011
NRThe mirror image of a pop star falls in love with the singer's wife and enters the world of people through the mirror. What to do if your own reflection becomes life-threatening to you?
Goodbye, My Love, Goodbye
1999
9.0Three film segments.
Happy Landing
1999
NRThe 6 short films of "Tabamata ime" are based on Edward Vilde's play of the same name first published in 1912. Vilde's play is about a young piano player Leo Saalep, who returns to his homeland Estonia to give a concert, and whose alleged international breakthrough has given him the long awaited role of putting Estonian culture on the map in the eyes of the local culture elite.
Uncaught Miracle
2006