Walking in the black sauna (English designation: smoke saunaEstonian: savvusanna; hence also – in a smoke bath), the heroines of the film share stories similar to intimate confessions about relationships with their bodies and sexuality, giving birth to children, and the unaffected, the unexpressed and the timeless beautiful. The sauna turns into a sanctuary a few square meters wide, in which a safe haven is brought to life – it separates them from the outside world, while simultaneously warming them in muted intimacy and the joy of being together.
A shot from the movie “Melnas pirts maasība” Photo: Publicity photo
The director of the film, Anna Hints, was born in 1982 in Tartu. In 2000, she graduated from Wiedemans High School in Haapsala, studied comparative literature and folkloristics at Tartu University, studied photography at Tartu Art College. In 2013, she started studying at the Cinema and Media School of Tallinn University, where she obtained a master’s degree in film direction. Since 2015, Anna has been a member of the Estonian Cinematographers’ Union, the Estonian Writers’ Union and the Estonian Audiovisual Association.
My conversation with Anne about the film’s message and impact on audiences is via email as she travels from Greece to England and finally to Scotland. The presence of the film “Melnās pirts māsība” at various festivals and industry events is still very much in demand – after all, it won the Best Director award in the “World Documentary Cinema” category at the Sundance Film Festival in the USA this year.
Film crew at Sundance Festival Photo: From personal archive
What events in your past gradually created in you the need to express your thoughts and vision of the world with the help of cinema?
I have created the film “Melnas pirts maasība” by thinking a lot and listening to my roots. The roots of my family are in South-Eastern Estonia, which is characterized by the specific traditions of the Veru and Setoma regions, the most well-known of which is the black sauna. This tradition is still actively practiced and is included in the representative list of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
2023-10-16 21:00:00
#symphony #nudity #intimacy #nature #movie #Melnās #pirts #māsība
