NEWS
Erik Stonehe a Collab With Ukraine Erik Stoneheart, the children’s adventure film, directed by Ilmar Raag, is a collaboration between Estonia, Luxembourg, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Ukraine. The VFX of the film was done in Ukraine in 2021, and also in Luxembourg and Estonia. By Maria Ulfsak Photos by Amrion and Esse Production House
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he main production company of the film is Amrion Productions from Estonia, and the executive producer is Riina Sildos. The script for Eric Stoneheart was written by Estonian scriptwriters Livia Ulman and Andris Feldmanis who have gained international attention with the script for the 2021 Cannes hit Compartment No 6. The protagonist of Erik Stoneheart is an 11-year-old boy Erik, who is convinced that he has a stone for a heart. And this is why he doesn’t mind that his parents have no time for him, or that he has no real friends. When his family moves into a vil-
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ESTONIAN FILM
la, inherited from aunt Brunhilda, he discovers another family living there – a young girl Maria and her dad, whom Erik’s parents want to kick out. When the family receives an eviction notice, Maria activates her secret plan to bring back her missing mother to save them. Together they end up on a fantastic journey to an In-Between-World, and Erik learns how hard it is to have a heart of stone. According to Vitaliy Sheremetiev (Esse Production House, Ukraine), the project was first discussed at the Berlin Film Festival in 2017, already the 4th year of Ukraine’s defensive war against Russia. “Me and our team, Natasha Libet and
Vitaliy Sheremetiev
