The short film collection “Wild South” presents eight stories about Tartu and Southern Estonia, capturing the tricks and mysteries about the arts of survival. Renowned filmmakers from Estonia and abroad bring us uniquely wild tales of people, communities, and the culture they live in.

In these stories, we meet peculiar vehicles known as “karakat” from Peipsi, charming non-places of Tartu, the wild German woman living an off-grid life without water and electricity, mischievous goats and crazy village parties, the diverse Annelinn residents and nostalgic Petseri, slime mould and space exploration, and of course, the artists of survival from today and past.

Arts of Survival Documentaries were made by: Andrey Paounov (Bulgaria), Andris Gauja (Latvia), Carl Olsson (Sweden/Denmark), Eva Kübar (Estonia), Jaan Tootsen (Estonia), Maria Aua (Estonia), Viesturs Kairišs (Latvia), Ülo Pikkov (Estonia).

The films are in Estonian, English, and Russian, with Estonian and English subtitles.

Arts of Survival Documentaries is a part of the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024 main programme.

The project is supported by the Estonian Film Institute and Tartu 2024.

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Distributor: Tartu Filmiselts MTÜ
Director: Jaan Tootsen, Andrey Paounov, Andris Gauja, Carl Olsson, Eva Kübar, Maria Aua, Viesturs Kairišs, Ülo Pikkov

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