29.07.2021 / Share on Facebook

Eurimages supports The Invisible Fight

Eurimages supported three Estonian films at their June 2021 meeting. Director Rainer Sarnet’s The Invisible Fight received 360,000 euros, while Triin Ruumet’s Dark Paradise received 150,000 euros and a Lithuanian-Estonian-Bulgarian documentary coproduction Irena received 112,000 euros.

That the three films were awarded the support is all the more noteworthy for the fact that competition for the support was the fiercest it has ever been in the history of Eurimages: a total of  92 European films applied for financing. With all of the films to which support was provided, Eurimages highlighted the originality and topical nature of their stories and the bold, unique visions of their directors.

The Invisible Fight is a kung-fu comedy about an Orthodox monastery set in the Soviet Union in the 1970s. Since director Rainer Sarnet’s plan with the film is to marry a number of aspects that at first glance don’t appear to go together – levity and sanctity, Black Sabbath and monks’ chants, pop culture and religious art – then the film will be a mixture which has never existed before in this form. “When you’re trying something that’s really out there, the cards tend to fall in one of two ways when it comes to funding,” explained the film’s producer Katrin Kissa. “Either the originality of it really grabs people, or the fact that it’s new and unusual leads to them taking a more cautious approach. The financing we’ve secured from Eurimages for The Invisible Fight is the last cornerstone of the whole thing. Now we can say with total confidence that shooting will start in August.” The film will be shot in Latvia, Greece and Estonia.

Sarnet is not only the film’s director, but is also responsible for its screenplay. Joining Ursel Tilk, who has been cast in the lead role, will be actors Ester Kuntu, Indrek Sammul, Maria Avdjuško, Tiina Tauraite and Mari Abel. The film’s crew will include director of photography Mart Taniel, designer Jaagup Roomet and costume designer Jaanus Vahtra.