RISTTEE

1st December: London National Theatre Live Broadcast of the Collaborators.

• National Theatre live is an exciting new initiative to broadcast live performances of plays omtp cinema screens worldwide. The pilot season was launched with Phedre on 25 June, when the performance was filmed in high definition and broadcast via satellite to various cinemas around the world.
•  On 1stof December there is a live screening of The Collaborators, a new play by John Hodge.
• More info about it from here.

3-4th December: Ajuaht (Brainhunt) Competition: Selecting Finalists.

• Ajujaht is a start-up competition for young entrepreneurs creating innovative businesses.
• The best 20 ideas enter a development programme carried out over 3 months covering all subjects necessary for young entrepreneurs. In addition to the training sessions each team is assigned a mentor to support the teams in their business planning.
• In December we are going to select those 20 ideas from 106 ideas that were submitted for the competition.

• The course is designed to enable new and improving writers to find and develop their voice for both the modern stage and theatrical approaches to dramatic performance material. The course treats the total writer (creative, intellectual, inquisitive, emotional and spiritual) as the source of the art, and expects participants to have an interest in other art forms to enable them to draw on a wide range of artistic influences.
• Neil Andrew Taylor is a highly successful author and playwright based in London. He travels extensively to lecture in other European cities and further afield. His adaptations of British screen classics and novels have been widely performed nationally in the UK including runs onShaftesbury Avenue, inLondon’s famous West-End theatre-land. His world premiere works include stage versions of Noel Coward’s Brief Encounter, Room At The Top, Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Lady Vanishes, and many others, for leading impresarios.
• Read about the programme from here.

The British Council recently attended an Education Fair in Tartu, where yours truly gave a talk on education in the UK. An extremely divisive issue at present, what with exorbitant fees, fears of another recession, high unemployment to name but a few of the problems the UK faces in the coming years. Why would anyone want to study in the UK? That is the hypothetical question I kept in my head as I gave this talk.

In spite of all these things, the UK still has an excellent reputation with education. 32 UK universities are in the top 100, 3 are in the top 10. The only country who performs better in that respect is the US which we can attribute to its size, but also, the only country which charges more than the UK for courses. You get what you pay for? In this case, I just about think so. A UK universities are recognised internationally for their excellent academics, research and students. For such a valuable asset, you would expect to pay for it?

Trying to convince people that student loans are not as burdensome as they first appear was the first hurdle, but once surmounted, the education you receive is worth the minimal payments you make after you graduate. I think so.

Attached here is the Undergraduate Presentation which tells you all you need to know, with added hyperlinks, about studying in the UK.

The British Council recently attended ‘ÖÖ: Was It A Dream?’, a boutique fair which celebrates ‘Nordic Excellence’ from design to fashion. This was another opportunity to see just how well dressed and forward thinking people are not only from Estonia, but from Finland and Iceland. The fair was held at Muust Puudel, a lovely cafe I am told is in the oldest building in Tallinn. the thick wall proved exasperating for some of the attendees, the wireless signal couldn’t penetrate Medieval design. Tough luck. Fortunately the speakers were captivating enough for people to close their sleek Apple products and pay attention.

Maria Kjartans gave a brief, albeit inspiring speech about all of her travelling exploits. Part-photographer, part-explorer, Maria has travelled to a fair few unusual places simply for the experience. She told us of Gypsy’s who live in cave dwellings high up a mountain.  Seemingly ‘free’ from the trappings of twenty-first Century life, eschewing consumer goods for a simpler life based on community, sharing and freedom. It is clear when you hear Maria speak, she is as genuine as she is curious, a real world-child, so you can easily imagine communities such as these accepting her into their fold. Her photos provide fascinating insights into a way of life you don’t often see.

Maria also visited Greenland, a short hop away from her second home of Iceland. Her experience was far less positive. With a small population on what can only be described as a frozen wasteland, the small community of Inuits and Danes take to drink to stave off the inevitable and crushing sense of boredom and loneliness. I found this insight, contrasted with Maria’s mellifluous talk quite strange. It left me with the impression that Maria’s work is not reportage or journalism per se, but far more a well-publicised account of how wonderful her travelling life is. But maybe I’m being too cynical?

The following day, two speakers from and based in the UK gave some extremely interesting speeches, in keeping with the tone of the fair thus far. Toby Meadows, author of How to Set Up and Run a Fashion Label, spoke about the concept of the ‘Challenger brands’. Now whenever the words ‘marketing’, ‘branding’ or ‘advertising’ enter my ear, this usually short-circuits my brain and I switch off. However, Toby made some excellent points which not only apply to fashion but to a much wider context. Well, that’s what I inferred, so let me explain.

Toby argued that as a new business, fashion label, designer, you should not try to emulate the number one brand. There’s no point emulating Apple because they are the best at what they do for a reason. Instead, you need to make being the number two brand ‘cool’. In other words, you have to challenge the norm in order to get noticed. A good case in point is Virgin. A company which according to Toby, has a rock and roll ethos due to its sponsorship of underdog teams in formula one. As soon as Jenson Button won under the Virgin brand, they changed to a smaller team further back on the starting grid, so as to always associate themselves with the underdog.

The same applies to Dove, who bucked the trend of using emaciated stick-insects, I mean models, in their advertising campaigns. Instead they took this statistic to heart (and eventually to the bank): 98% of British women think that models used in advertisements look unrealistic. So, Dove used ‘normal’ sized women. In other words, they didn’t want to emulate the number one brand such as L’Oreal. They did their own thing and it worked.

The concept of ‘Intelligent Naivety’ is an asset that many new designers and businesses have without realising. Dyson, of vacuum cleaner fame didn’t follow the trend and naively, yet intelligently, couldn’t accept the obiter dictum that vacuum cleaners should have bags.

But the main idea he impinged in all of the listeners was that of ‘Overcommitment’. You have to take a gamble when you start a new business and over commit. For instance, a New Zealand Vodka brand couldn’t get any of the clubs in New York to take on their product. So, one particularly cold winter, they bought a snow plough and cleared all the snow near the aforementioned clubs. Lo and behold, they asked again, the bouncers and club-owners remembered their charitable act and their vodka is now on sale.

As I was listening to all of this, I realised this is just one aspect of a near-universal trend in life today. The ‘democratisation’ of information through the internet has meant that the old methods of selling and buying products has been taking out of the hands of the few and it has given a great opportunity to small businesses with an internet connection to do their own, innovative thing. In some respects, this seems like a logical progressions of cut-throat aggressive capitalism because now, things are even more competitive than even a year ago. You need to shout loud to be heard, wear bright colours, do crazy things to get noticed. This is a positive thing depending on what side of the bed you get up in the morning. Ubiquitous approval of competitiveness has a moral fallout. Not everyone functions in a system like this. Ever the cynic, I was able to draw a slightly negative conclusion from what had been a resoundingly positive talk.

Similarly, Stefan Siegel, whose German-sounding name does not belie his Italian roots, spoke about his website and business Not Just A Label. Stefan used to work on Wall Street and after five years of un-fulfilling overwork, he gave it all up to nurture his fledgling business idea. That is, a website which showcases and sells new and up and coming fashion designers. It is very difficult for young designers to get noticed, ironic when lots of people want new and exciting clothes concurrently. This website is able to bridge that gap. There are approximately 7,000 designers from 92 countries showcasing on this website, very much like the ‘Bandcamp’ for fashion. This video does a better job at explaining the premise than I ever could.

The overall thread between Toby’s and Stefan’s talks as far as I saw it was that in the last few years, our increased understanding and usage of the internet has cut out the proverbial middle-man. Providing you have an internet connection and live near a good airport (so people in Tallinn, listen up) you can start your own business and you can get yourself heard. Stefan exemplified this himself, and he, along with a lot of other people in the fashion industry are leading this trend (no pun intended). At catwalks, fashion editors usually make notes and report back on the latest trends in Milan, Paris, Berlin or wherever for their magazines, printed months later. Whereas these days, influential bloggers are sitting next to the Fashion’s equivalent of the Old Guard, telling people instantaneously. It fundamentally changes the model in which consumer and designer interact. Democratisation?

Yet in my very humble and probably Luddite-esque opinion , it contributes to a culture of instant gratification, impatience and if anything, more rabid consumption than ever before. More advertising, more insidious psychological manipulation in order for a person to fork over their money for something they ultimately don’t really need. Selling tactics always change and adapt quickly, that’s capitalism and why it’s so ‘successful’, but to call it democratisation is Orwellian doublespeak in my book. But then, like the BBC, I endeavour to give both sides of the argument.

The Weidenfeld Scholarships and Leadership Programme run by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) will fund 30-40 Scholars in the2012-13 academic year. This Programme, launched in May 2007, offers outstanding postgraduate students and young professionals support for graduate studies at the University of Oxford complemented by a comprehensive leadership development programme.

In its first phase this programme has primarily supported scholars from Eastern Europe, Russia, Central Asia, North Africa and the Middle East.

In seeking to cultivate leaders of the future, the Programme selects students and young professionals with demonstrated leadership potential and a commitment to public service. It offers them the unique opportunity to:

• Pursue fully funded graduate studies at the University of Oxford with no restriction as to the chosen academic field;
• Participate in a comprehensive leadership programme providing them with the knowledge and skills needed to contribute to public life in their countries and regions of origin or globally; and
• Build lasting professional networks across cultures and continents.

Candidates must apply through the official University of Oxford application process by January 2012 (6 January 2012 for Medical Sciences and Philosophy students; 20 January 2012 for all other subjects) and need to be accepted by the university before being considered for the Weidenfeld Scholarship.

Please find attached additional information about the programme and details regarding eligibility criteria and the application process. For further information please visit ISD’s website  and do not hesitate to contact the Institute for Strategic Dialogue by email at info@strategicdialogue.org or by telephone on +44 207 493 9333.

For more information please select the PDF documents below:

1 Weidenfeld How to apply for 2012-13

2 FAQs- Weidenfeld Scholarships

3 Questionnaire Weidenfeld Scholarships 2012-13

Weidenfeld Scholarship Brochure

In our office there is a picture of a bespectacled man wearing a bow tie. His smile is calm yet disarming. Behind him are three blue lions, the crest of Estonia. He is looking directly into the camera with a benevolent gaze. He looks likeable. Who is this person?

I recently read a very interesting article about this man in The Guardian, who is none other than President Toomas Hendrik Ilves . An extremely svelte gentleman with a penchant for bow-ties. It must certainly set him apart on the international stage. It must be said that the British press hardly covers anything to do with Estonia, let alone Estonian politicians. But please do not take that as a personal affront. The same can be said for almost all European news; it barely registers on British radars. So it is encouraging to see a lengthy interview in the British media for once.

But Ilves’ life story is a fascinating one: born in Stockholm while his parents fled their occupied home. Raised and educated in the United States (and thus has an impeccably American accent when speaking in English), a journalist during the Cold War and now with the most important, albeit ceremonial role in Estonia.

He embodies multiculturalism, if not the journey that many Estonians have experienced themselves in the last century. Displacement. Coming to terms with free-market capitalism after decades of centralised Soviet control. As a knee-jerk reaction against these times, Ilves (and it has to be said, many Estonians I have had conversations with) are staunch defenders of capitalism. Even during a period in which this form of societal organisation is under fierce scrutiny and pressure, particularly in Europe as Greece, Italy and other countries’ national debt threatens to destabilise the Euro for good. Ilves makes a good point when he says:

“The competing model today is authoritarian capitalism, countries that are formerly communist or nominally communist, where they basically say, ‘You can make money, but you can’t have freedom of speech and you can’t have freedom of the press’ … Our model is more efficient because we make autocratic decisions, and that works much better than this messy democracy stuff.”

“In the short term, you probably can make more efficient decisions. That was the argument for Adolf Hitler and fascism. But I don’t think in the long term it’s sustainable. Democracy is messy, clearly, but it has one key factor, which is an orderly transfer of power. And that’s the problem with all these authoritarian countries – they become corrupt, and then the guys at the top want to grab it all. But then the problem is that you have to stay in power until you die because if you give up power, all [your wealth] will be confiscated and you’ll be put in jail. Or worse.”

In that light, you can see why someone like Ilves would advocate and defend stronger integration with the EU in light of its history and proximity to its bullying neighbour. The Estonians have had the Euro for eleven months and no one would deny that it is probably the worse time to join what appears to be an ailing currency. Ilves would characterise this as the ‘messy stuff’ that is part and parcel of a functioning and flourishing democracy.

But recent changes to Estonia will no doubt come under closer scrutiny in time to come. Whenever you watch travel clips about Estonia, read articles and so on, the story of Estonia is a resoundingly positive one. The Estonians achieved 8% economic growth last year, an eye-watering amount considering the parlous situation for most of Europe. Yet joining the Euro has caused huge problems. Prices have risen dramatically, as expected. Wages however have stayed where they are. Estonians scoff, and I think with haste, at the French, Italians or Greek who are either protesting or striking. I often hear “Estonians would never go on strike. We’d just get on with it.”

While this puritan work-ethic is admirable, the cost of living in Estonia is rising. Economic growth belies this disparity. For if wages had risen concordant with the cost of living, things would be very different. Is it complacency on the Estonians part? Why are they not demanding higher wages? It clearly is a huge problem simmering away until it reaches boiling point. Many young nurses, teachers, doctors and young professionals are leaving their country to work in Finland, Sweden, Norway or Germany where they can earn in some cases four times more than they could in Estonia. A brain drain is inevitable.

The government will need to do something about this sooner or later, either by loosening immigration policies (and if we consider how difficult it is for the Russian population to gain citizenship in Estonia, you can imagine how unpopular this policy would be) or raising wages. Whether this is initiated by protest, in which Estonians eschew a cultural taboo, or whether the government borrows money to increase wages remains to be seem.

Of course this is all speculative. But not outside the realms of possibility. One hopes that Ilves realises this problem sooner rather than later.

The Open Society Foundations and the British Council are supporting a symposium series addressing key issues of youth policy. The symposia are being convened in a variety of international settings and engage expertise from the youth sector, development policy-making and programming, academic institutions, donor organisations and young people themselves. Each symposium aims to highlight international perspectives on the challenges, insights, successes and next steps for those engaged in youth policy work at national, transnational and global levels. Focus areas include: youth in conflict-affected areas, youth rights, youth participation, political participation, transitional justice, public health, gender and civil society.

Youth and Extremism: What do we know? What do we do?

Call for Expressions of Interest:

This two-day symposium in Budapest, convened with the Department of Public Policy, Central European University, will bring together a rich mix of 50 stakeholders from diverse backgrounds engaged in international programmes   across Europe. A major aim is to discuss the understandings we have gained from recent instances of youth’s relationship to extremism and investigate strategies/ explore ideas for the future.    Registration will be from 10.00 on the morning of Monday 28^th followed by 12.00 lunch and a 13.00 start; departures after closing session from 13.00 on Wednesday 30th November. To express interest please complete the form “Youth Policy Symposium – Expression of Interest”

Rationale:  

Much has happened and been discussed in the media over the last couple of years, suggesting links between youth and extremism. TheUK riots, the shootings inFinland andNorway, the rise of the extreme right inCentral Europe are just some examples. But what do we really know? What is just supposition?  And what can we do with what we know? This timely event provides an opportunity to look closely at underlying causes so as to achieve a more informed common understanding. With this we can better identify the lessons learned and formulate ways forward at policy level and on-the-ground.

Format:

The symposium will comprise focussed input highlighting current research, the presentation of case studies; thematic working groups; café-style multi-stakeholder dialogues to ensure the exchange of differing viewpoints and workshops demonstrating the use of different tools. Facilitation will be provided by youth and other organisations based in Budapest.  Pre-event interaction and selected documents will be via Youth Policy.

Outcomes:

The symposium will distil the results of research and good practice and provide the foundation for planning to strengthen the development of international policy and practice in this field.

 Participants:

Participants will be from acrossEurope and provide a bridge to different communities: academic, political, agency, youth- led initiatives. This will include the UN family, Youth Councils, Universities and research institutes, donor foundations and international NGOs, the police, the media. Everyone is a contributor.

Venue:

Central European University, Budapest.

Download Application Form: Budapest Symposium Registration Form.

The PÖFF Black Nights Film Festival will be held between 16th-30th November in cinemas all over Estonia. Here are a selection of the British-made films on offer:

Cave of Forgotten Dreams 2011

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZFP5HfJPTY&ob=av3e]

In 1994, a group of scientists discovered a cave in Southern France perfectly preserved for over 20,000 years and containing the earliest known human paintings. Knowing the cultural significance that the Chauvet Cave holds, the French government immediately cut-off all access to it, save a few archaeologists and paleontologists. But documentary filmmaker, Werner Herzog, has been given limited access, and now we get to go inside examining beautiful artwork created by our ancient ancestors around 32,000 years ago. He asks questions to various historians and scientists about what these humans would have been like and trying to build a bridge from the past to the present

Inni 2010

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh3MxyGKDbw]

Inni is either the first-ever sigur rós live album, or second live film (and follow up to 2007′s acclaimed iceland tour film heima). in fact, it is both: a 75-minute film and 105-minute double live album of the band captured in full flow at the close of their last tour in november 2008, here housed within one single fat package.

Filmed at alexandra palace over two nights by director vincent morisset (arcade fire’s ‘miroir noir’), the movie ‘inni’ could best be described as the anti-’heima’. whereas that film took a band about whom the world knew little, and placed them in the cultural, social and geographical context of their homeland, (with winning and humanising results); the new film strips away everything save the raw performance of the four musicians themselves. where ‘heima’ was widescreen and open, ‘inni’ is close and single focussed.

Les-Bien Aimés 2011

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbMsAWfmSh0]

The carefree love life of a 1960s French mother is daringly juxtaposed with the amorous travails of her daughter several decades later in “Beloved,” scribe-helmer Christophe Honore’s second musical meller after “Love Songs.” Unlikely to be confused with the same-titled Toni Morrison adaptation, Honore’s latest again forges a song-sprinkled narrative out of intertwined stories of love and grief, with the second half especially delivering the helmer’s trademark melancholy-tinged melodrama. With Catherine Deneuve and Chiara Mastroianni playing mother and daughter, as they are in real life, marketable pic should have slightly longer legs than “Songs” at home and abroad.

Weekend 2011

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmlNgKlHViY]

On a Friday night after hanging out with his straight mates, Russell heads out to a nightclub, alone and on the pull. Just before closing time he picks up Glen. And so begins a weekend – in bars and in bedrooms, getting drunk and taking drugs, telling stories and having sex — that will resonate throughout their lives.

From the director of the British underground hit ‘Greek Pete’, Andrew Haigh’s tender unpeeling of the emotional and psychological layers of two young men coming into their own was the talk of the South By Southwest film festival, and comes to the UK on the back of international film festival acclaim.

The Prophet 2011

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l69ARbQt-Ko]

Condemned to six years in prison, Malik El Djebena, part Arab, part Corsican, cannot read or write. Arriving at the jail entirely alone, he appears younger and more fragile than the other convicts. He is 19 years old. Cornered by the leader of the Corsican gang currently ruling the prison, he is given a number of missions to carry out, toughening him up and gaining the gang leaders confidence in the process. Malik is a fast learner and rises up the prison ranks, all the while secretly devising his own plans.

Winner of the Festival de Cannes Grand Prix, A Prophet is a compelling story of power, morality and survival, from one of France’s most acclaimed directors Jacques Audiard (The Beat My Heart Skipped).

Tyrannosaur 2011

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvyqXFmV-LI]

The highly-anticipated directorial debut from Paddy Considine, TYRANNOSAUR has been winning universal acclaim for its assured direction and standout performances from stars Peter Mullan (NEDS) and Olivia Colman (Peep Show), including a World Cinema Prize for directing and two World Cinema Special Jury Prizes for dramatic acting at Sundance Film Festival this year.

A moving story of finding redemption and love in the most unlikely places, Tyrannosaur follows the story of two damaged people brought together by circumstance: Joseph (Mullan), an unemployed widower, crippled by his own volatile temperament; and Hannah (Colman), a respectable charity shop worker, whose apparent happiness belies troubles of her own. A gripping drama, defined by powerhouse performances and a deeply affecting story, Tyrannosaur is released in cinemas on October 7.

Jackboots on Whitehall 2011

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxlBwLOkjOo]

A satirical alternative history of World War II where the Nazis seize London and England must band together to prevent a full on invasion.

Toast 2011

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tSifCTYxRo]

Wolverhampton, 1967: nine year old Nigel Slater loves his mother though she is a hopeless cook, her finest offering being toast whilst he has great culinary aspirations. When she dies of asthma Nigel is left with a distant father but worse is to come when the ‘common’ Mrs. Joan Potter arrives as the Slaters’ cleaner. Nigel fears,rightly,that her aim is to be the next Mrs. Slater and soon he has a new stepmother and is whisked away to the country. Joan is,however,a superb cook but this only makes for rivalry as Nigel,the only boy in his cookery class at secondary school,competes with her to find the way to his father’s heart. A weekend job in a pub kitchen introduces Nigel to an older boy,another great cook and gay like himself ,who gives him the confidence and inspiration to leave home after his father’s death and head for the hotel kitchens of London.

Attack The Block 2011

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD0gm7dHKKc]

From the producers of SHAUN OF THE DEAD and SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD comes ATTACK THE BLOCK, a fast funny, frightening action adventure movie that pits a teen gang against an invasion of savage alien monsters. It turns a London housing estate into a sci-fi playground. A tower block into a fortress under siege. And teenage street kids into heroes. It’s inner city versus outer space.

Perfect Sense 2011

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iexMJrBzZtA]

A chef and a scientist fall in love as an epidemic begins to rob people of their sensory perceptions.

The Trip 2010

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xxq-I_e_KXg]

When Steve Coogan is asked by The Observer to tour the country’s finest restaurants, he envisions it as the perfect getaway with his beautiful girlfriend. But, when she backs out on him, he has no one to accompany him but his best friend and source of eternal aggravation, Rob Brydon.

Wild Bill 2011

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYlawntn1DE&feature=related]

Out on parole after 8 years inside Bill Hayward returns home to find his now 11 and 15 year old sons abandoned by their mother and fending for themselves. Unwilling to play Dad, an uncaring Bill is determined to move on. Although Dean the older boy has found a job and is doing his best to be a father to his younger brother Jimmy, the arrival of Bill has brought them to the attention of social services. With the danger of being put into care looming, Dean forces his feckless Dad to stay by threatening to grass him up for dealing. If there’s one thing Bill doesn’t want it’s to go back to prison. He reluctantly agrees to stay for a week o help fool social services that the boys are being cared for. Having never really grown up himself Bill quickly connects with Jimmy and through this new bond starts to realize what he’s been missing. He has a family, a place in the world. He is a father. However, their happy family set up is short lived when Jimmy gets into trouble with Bill’s dangerous old cohorts. To sort it out would breach the terms of his license and risk sending him back to Jail. Bill’s next steps will show what sort of a Dad he wants to be. A good one or a free one.

Wuthering Heights 2009

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEttxmXmPYA]

Braving her father Edgar Linton’s warning not to cross the estate border, young Catherine discovers her charming, but sickly cousin, and the manly Hareton are the heartlessly scorned and abused sons of wealthy Heatcliff on the Earnshaw estate. This launches a flashback how Heathcliff was raised as Cathy’s best friend by her kind father, Mr. Earnshaw. After his death, the son and heir returns from boarding school, married, and reduces Heathcliff to the rank of stable boy, enduring constant abuse in order to remain with Cathy. After an accidental meeting with elegant gentleman Edgar Linton, she falls in love. To Hindley’s delight, this drives Heathcliffe away. [PART II] Three years later, he returns wealthy enough to buy the estate, a day after Kathy married Edgar. He takes revenge, which instead of satisfaction brings misery to all.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy 2011

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aco15ScXCwA]

In the bleak days of the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley is forced from semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet agent within MI6′s echelons.

Marathon Boy 2011

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf_HzzpsaFs]

At three, Budhia Singh had already run six 13-mile half-marathons. Born into the slums of Bhubaneswar in the eastern Indian state of Orissa, Budhia’s mother sold him to a peddler for 800 rupees. Not long after Biranchi Das, a judo teacher who also runs an orphanage, bought him back, and soon discovers Budhia’s talent for running.. But when Biranchi has the four year old Budhia run 42 miles, the debate begins: is he providing Budhia with a rare opportunity, or is he exploiting a boy too young to know what he really wants. When the government gets involved the case becomes a political football, and rumours of vast sums of money attract gangsters eager to drive a wedge between Biranchi and Budhia. What starts out as a real Slumdog Millionaire turns into a the stuff of film noir, a tale of dreams, greed, and envy, with a child at its centre. Officially awarded in top 3 feature documentaries at IDFA.

We Need To Talk About Kevin 2011

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLRgAe2jLaw]

The mother of a teenage boy who went on a high-school killing spree tries to deal with her grief — and feelings of responsibility for her child’s actions — by writing to her estranged husband.

Screening times for these films will be announced on the PÖFF website nearer the time.

4th- 6th November: Servataguse Festival

• Unusual music from Baltics and North, shining a light on the most adventurous experimentalists of the region. With performers from Estonia, Finland, Russia, Sweden, Latvia, Denmark, Argentina and Scotland.
• You have a chance to see Kylie Minoise from Scotland who is screaming at the top of his lungs, with harsh feedback from two amps, looking like a bare chest soccer hooligan with a scarf around the face to protect from the tear gas. More about the festival from here.

4th-10th November: NU Performance Festival

• This year, the fourth edition of the NU Performance Festival leaves the theatre scene behind and conquers the stage of everyday life: from November 7–10, 2011, the biannual festival for international contemporary performance and theatre is hosted exclusively at the Sokos Hotel Viru. During four days, around 50 performance and theatre artists present work that has been originally created for or adapted to the hotel’s premises.
• BC supports the participation of British performers (reside in Berlin) Sophia New & Daniel Belasco forming group “plan b” who will be following the staff, visitors and activities over three days and then perform based on what they have seen.
• More details about the performances from here.

9th-12th November: International Training Module for Empowering European Citizens

• EEC is an intercultural project co-funded by the European Commission, British Council and ten civil society organisations across Europe. The project brings together people across Europe who has or would like to play a role in local initiatives that benefit their community.
• Our project partner in Estonia is Open Estonia Foundation.

17th-20th November: NEU/NOW Festival

• The NEU/NOW Festival provides an innovative platform for the most exciting and creative NEU artistic talent NOW emerging from higher arts education institutions and universities across Europe and beyond – to present themselves to wider audiences in the NEU/NOW online and LIVE Festival that is taking place in Tallinn.
• You can already get familiar with all the participants online from here.

18th-30th November: Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival

• Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival is a unique event combining a feature film festival with the sub-festivals of animated films, student films and children/youth films. The festival aims to present
• Estonian audiences a comprehensive selection of world cinema in all its diversity with the emphasis on European films, providing a friendly atmosphere for interaction between the audience, Estonian filmmakers and their colleagues from abroad.
• More detailed schedule of the festival from here.

21st-26th November:  ÖÖ: Was It A Dream

• ÖÖ is a collaborative project by a community of emerging creative talent – fashion, furniture and product designers, photographers, film makers, artists and illustrators. During the ÖÖ you will also have an opportunity to take part in seminars held by the saver of fashion brands Toby Meadows, online fashion label creator Stefan Siegel and marketing expert Neishaa Gharat.
• More about it from here.

26th November: TEDx Tartu

• TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At TEDx Tartu event, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group.
• More information about it from here.

30th November: Information Day on Studying and Working in the UK in Tartu

• Information day on Studying and Working in the UK at hotel London in Tartu. This event is meant for everyone who is interested in United Kingdom.
• Topics that will be covered include: services of EURES network, volunteering in the UK, living and working in the UK and studying in the UK.

British Artists David Birkin and Louisa Adam curated a photo exhibition at Galerii G on Friday entitled Moments of Reprieve. The theme of this event is best summarised by them:

“Moments of Reprieve brings together a group of artists whose work responds conceptually to the challenge of articulating loss in photography, whether as personal experience or political critique.”

“Through a series of stage and stolen moments, the photographs in the show expand on the idea that the medium and its modes of production may point to something beyond a literal visual depiction – for instance, by highlighting how images can communicate more through what they conceal than the subjects they portray.”

Upon first look at the photographs, I immediately took the cynical and disparaging view of ‘modern art’ (a problematic label in itself), which in hindsight is a form of intellectual cowardice. I know this, we all know this really. But it is easy to do when presented with a piece of art you fail to understand and which needs detailed explanation for you to fully appreciate the artistic statement. I am in two minds as to whether this is a good thing? Should art need explaining? Certainly not. But does explanation assist your appreciation of art, and especially ‘modern art’? It would seem so. It is a bit of a paradox.

Fortunately my cynicism soon dissipated when Birkin and Adam gave a guided tours of the works on display. Dominating one wall was a photograph by Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin called ‘The Day That No One Died’. It was a conceptual piece of photography, in part a reaction against the images we usually see of war. People being shot, blood, suffering, grit and misery. We’ve seen these type of images before, set in different war-torn countries. Instead, photo-paper was exposed to sunlight during certain events the photographers were witness to. Rather than reportage, the viewer engages in a conceptual and knowingly absurd spectacle which “engages you both emotionally and intellectually” to paraphrase Birkin’s words.

Birkin’s own photographs were similarly conceptual. ‘Four Shades Of Red’ displayed just that. When civilians had died in the Iraq war, we were told that the US army did not do headcounts. In other words, they did not officially count the number of civilian deaths. In fact they did and gave each body a unique code. Birkin took these codes and filtered them through a computer (the technical aspect of how he did this escaped me…) which generated a unique shade of red. Each colour represented a dead civilian. It was quite a haunting and almost voyeuristic feeling when looking at these photographs, playing with the idea of representation. And in so doing, achieving in my opinion, what all ‘good’ art strives to do: represent the unrepresentable.

‘Embedded’, also by Birkin, played with similar themes. Birkin had taken (in)famous photographs, one of a German soldier in World War Two shooting someone at point-blank range with a rifle. This photo in particular has ceased to be an historical document for no one knows who took it, when, where and who the soldier or victim was. He fed the photos into a computer, and the code of the photograph generated an error (again, the technical part of how he did this is a complete mystery to your neanderthal author), garbling the photo and generating computer code. The code represented the people in the photo, kind of a reversal to ‘Four Shades of Red’.

The other photographs, while explained, failed to impress or resonate with me like these three photograph pieces had done. The only thing I disagreed with, or perhaps failed to understand, was the title ‘Moments of Reprieve’. All the photographs on some level were representing loss. In that sense, the exhibition was not a reprieve from loss but a visceral reminder of it on the personal and political level.

Nevertheless, Birkin and Adam were articulate and challenged my preconceived ideas on modern photography. Birkin is clearly a talented artist with excellent, thought-provoking ideas. However, Galerii G is quite a small space, consequently there were only a dozen photographs on display. This did not detract from the power and immediacy of the work, but it felt like an introduction, a scratching of the surface of what could have been a coruscating exhibition had more work been displayed.

As a part of the NYYD International Contemporary Music Festival, the Britten Sinfonia performed pieces by the celebrated Scottish composer James MacMillan. MacMillan himself conducted the orchestra in the plush setting of the Tallinn Concert Hall. Looking back over the previous performers of the NYYD festival, which is now in its twentieth year, expectation and excitement was high. The festival began in 1991:

“coinciding with the rebirth of the independence in Estonia. Aims of the festival: to provide an international forum for composers and performers, seeking and encouraging new ideas and concepts, adventures and achievements in the variety of phenomena in music of our time.”

The concert began with a piece by an Estonian composer, Tõnu Kõrvits entitled Hümnid virmalistele which translated means Hymn to the Northern Lights. MacMillan delicately conducted and interpreted this technical piece of music. In terms of style, the piece was reminiscent of Steve Reich’s Music For 18 Musicians with lots of rhythmic pulses coming from the woodwind section, counteracted by glissando playing from the cello section. There were parts of the piece where the string section played extremely high notes in a descending pattern which was evocative of Autumn leaves slowly falling from the trees. You can see that the music allowed the listener’s imagination to run away with itself. It was a stunning performance.

MacMillan then went on to perform two of his pieces, Tryst and Concert for Oboe and Orchestra. Both pieces sit well between Avante-Garde and contemporary classical. There were moments of dissonance one associates with atonal music from the twentieth century interspersed with reassuring melodies. The standout performance was the oboe solo performed by Nicholas Daniel in Concert for Oboe and Orchestra. It was an astonishing virtuoso performance, considering that it is such a  technical piece, only a handful of oboists are able to play it. Extremely fast runs made the oboe sound like a jazz piano dancing over the keys at lightning speed.

Perhaps the most wonderful thing was the sheer joy the performers had in performing in Tallinn. There were wide smiles from all the performers, especially Daniels. When he was not dazzling the audience with his playing, there was a huge smile on his face in appreciation for the impressive orchestra behind him. The Concert Hall has wonderful acoustics so every note and dynamic was appreciated by the audience and, after an awed silence from the audience when the concert finished, rapturous applause inevitably followed.

After the performance, my British Council colleague Ursula Roosmaa, gave a brief speech thanking MacMillan and the Britten Sinfonia for such a spellbinding performance. It must be appreciated the difficultly and moreover the expense in getting an orchestra of this calibre over to Tallinn.  Especially an orchestra and composer who perform contemporary classical music. Everyone who attended was clearly excited having witnessed  a remarkable performance which will undoubtedly go down as a highlight of Tallinn 2011.