Tallinnfilm AS

Tallinnfilm is the oldest operative film studio in Estonia. Originally founded as Estonian Culture Film in 1931, the studio was nationalized in 1940, after Estonia was brought into the Soviet Union. During the first year of Soviet occupation (1940-1941), Eesti Kultuurfilm was taken over by the Communist Party and renamed Kinokroonika Eesti Stuudio (the Estonian Newsreel Studio). In 1942, during the German occupation in World War II, it was renamed Kinokroonika Tallinna Stuudio (The Tallinn Newsreel Studio). In 1947 the Soviet renamed it Tallinna Kinostuudio (The Tallinn Film Studio); in 1954 it was renamed Kunstiliste ja Kroonikafilmide Tallinna Kinostuudio (Tallinn Feature and Newsreel Film Studio), and in 1963 Tallinnfilm. During the Soviet era, the studio was the only major movie production house in Estonia, leading to its being responsible for almost all the country’s feature-length movies of the time. After Estonia regained independence in 1991, Tallinnfilm terminated its production activities and concentrated on restoration of its film stock and film distribution. Since 2004 Tallinnfilm has acted as an art-house cinema operator. The owner of Tallinnfilm is the Estonian Film Foundation