12/05/2026 - The Estonian producer discusses her current slate, the logic behind international co-productions and the role of human connection in creative collaboration

(© Krõõt Tarkmeel)

Having founded Alexandra Film in 2006, Marianne Ostrat has built an independent producing career rooted in curiosity, collaboration and an interest in exploring the human soul through cinema. Her work spans animation, fiction and documentary, with projects developed both in Estonia and through a wide network of European partners. Cineuropa spoke to her ahead of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where she will be the Estonian participant in European Film Promotion’s Producers on the Move programme.

Cineuropa: How did you get into producing in Estonia and what were the first real steps that got you started?
Marianne Ostrat: After high school, I had no idea what I wanted to become but I had a very clear idea of what I didn’t want to become. I took the entrance exams for the Audiovisual Media BA programme at Tallinn University and realised quickly that TV directing was not for me. However, these studies laid an invaluable foundation for my work as a producer.

In the summer of 2004, I landed a position as assistant producer on the television feature August 1991. I was thrown in at the deep end — and I loved it! One day, during filming at the Tallinn TV Tower, on the highest floor where ordinary mortals are not allowed — suspended between land, sky and enormous antennae, beneath the most beautiful sunset — I realised that I wanted to continue living such an adventurous life and that I had found my calling as a film producer. From there, everything unfolded.

In 2006, Boris Frumin, then teaching at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, came to Tallinn to lead the very first international MA Film Arts programme at the newly founded Baltic Film and Media School. That same year, I founded my production company, Alexandra Film. My graduation film Strays, by Norwegian director Sutharsan Bala, premiered at The Norwegian Short Film Festival, where it received two special mentions. Since then, I have lived as an independent producer, exploring the human soul through filmmaking.

What are you currently working on, and what are your priorities heading into Cannes?
I am developing an animated feature by fellow Sundance alumni Chintis Lundgren and Draško Ivezić. Saima: Scenes from a Midlife Crisis is a deep yet funny take on navigating the chaos of midlife transformation. It’s co-developed with Adriatic Animation in Croatia and Avec ou sans Vous in France, won the CICLIC Prize last year at MIFA Pitches, and I’m having great fun with this project!

Meanwhile, the suspense drama Lex Julia by Laura Hyppönen is set to premiere this year. It’s a Finnish-Polish-Estonian-Swedish co-production with Estonian actress Rea Lest playing the leading role. The film is about a young woman, Julia, who goes to spend a summer weekend on her friend Anna’s private island and recognises Anna’s husband as a man from her painful past.

Moreover, I am currently seeking a world premiere and distribution for Madli Lääne’s freshly completed short hybrid documentary Song of Sleepless Nights, about the inner life of teenage boys. Tanno Mee’s short drama Second Trombone — a playful exploration of the inner voice — will be completed in the summer. I’m also co-producing a Danish feature documentary, Direct Me!, by Majse Vilstrup, produced by Paloma Productions, which will premiere in 2027.

Producers on the Move is my priority in Cannes — enjoying the programme and building connections with the other 20 participants, who are all amazing, talented and well-established European producers.

Co-productions are key in the Baltic region. How do you usually build those partnerships?
Firstly, I rely on my network and, with each new project, consider what feels most natural and whom I would like to invite along for the journey. Sometimes I also present projects at co-production markets and pitching forums, where the project itself attracts partners who genuinely connect with it. It creates a very honest basis for collaboration. I discovered Lex Julia through the Industry@Tallinn co-production market in this way, although I already knew the producer Merja Ritola.

Do you tend to collaborate more within the Baltic region, or do you look further afield towards larger European partners?
Neither and both. Every project is unique. I’m collaborating with Lithuania’s Art Shot on the stop-motion shorts of Anu-Laura Tuttelberg. I also have an ongoing collaboration with Iceland’s Ursus Parvus, which co-produced Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, and I have myself co-produced Swedish, Finnish and now Danish films. I have also worked with Catalonia and Poland. Smoke Sauna Sisterhood had a French co-producer as well, and now Saima will likewise be co-produced with France.

When I’m the delegate producer, the decision is based on what makes sense for the project and which countries offer realistic and accessible financing opportunities. When I’m co-producing, it’s about the project I’ve fallen in love with, and that can come from any country except aggressor states. However, there is a special place in my heart for making magic with other low-capacity countries.

Estonia is often seen as quite forward-thinking digitally. Does that have any real impact on your work?
I’m sure it does, but it’s like oxygen. We are so used to it that we would only notice it if there were a disruption. For me, the essence of creative collaboration is human connection, and technology is there to support it.

What kinds of projects or voices from Estonia do you feel remain underrepresented internationally?
Every film has to earn its audience by being relevant and resonating with viewers abroad, and that is no easy task in such a crowded landscape. I’m also curious to see what from Estonia will next break through internationally. A few days ago, I read that Janno Jürgens’ second feature No Me Without You, produced by Filmivabrik, had secured a sales agent. Having followed Janno’s sensitive and emotionally intelligent work over the years, I am certainly rooting for him.