Estonian government backs Tallinn film studio complex

The Estonian government has announced that it will back the development of a major studio complex in the capital, Tallinn, allocating $1 million to the project.

The idyllically named Tallinn Film Wonderland will cost $6.5 million and looks set to be the biggest facility in the Baltic region.

In an interview with Screen, CEO Liina Maria Lepik said she was in talks with an Estonian bank to raise the remaining required funding. She dubbed the government’s decision to offer financing a “kick-starter to the project”, expressing excitement that plans for production of the facility “can now begin to move forward”.

The complex is set to open by the end of 2018 in Tallinn’s Kopli district. It will target both local and international productions, with the increase in studio capacity enabling Estonian production companies to offer their services to foreign customers – an especially important step following the introduction of the tax rebate system earlier this year.

“The cash rebate has been a major thing, and Estonian film-makers have recently attracted a lot of attention, but the local industry is struggling with a lack of facilities,” Ms Lepik commented. A large number of Estonian production companies are supporting the development.

Source: Screen Daily