Fleeing from the russian secret police because of his controversial past, a young estonian fencer named endel is forced to return to his homeland, where he begins to train. Miekkailja the fencer by the finnish director, klaus haro, is visually stunning a story about sacrifice, belief, fear and survival a touching portrait of estonia. The past however catches up with him and endel has to choose between letting his students down or putting his life in danger. At his job interview, the school principal and eventual bad guy, hendrik toompere, notes that endel, whos to be the new phys ed instructor at a secondary school in haapsalu, has listed fencing as among his skills, and comments not a sport for the. Palace films 2016 thefencer 2016 golden globe nominee best foreign language film 2016 academy awards best foreign languag. Miekkailija or the fencer is a finnishestonian 90minute movie from 2015 directed by klaus haro, a filmmaker with a long history of successful films and many awards wins, and written by anna heinamaa, her first screen writing effort apparently. From the awardwinning klaus haro elina som om jag inte fanns 2002, mother of mine tackles that painful patch of history in a tale of 9yearold eero, a child who increasingly. Finlandestoniagermany a nordisk film in finland release of a making movies oy production. The fencer is an inspiring figure in a formulaic tale the.
The fencer was also nominated for the golden globe award in the best foreign language film category as a finnish germanestonian coproduction. Originally reported on estonian public broadcasting, the film began shooting in february 2014 and is a fictional account based on haapsalus legendary fencing master endel nelis, played by mart avandi. His filmography includes elina, the finnish entry to the academy awards in 2002. The campaign will start nov 18th and run until dec 18th 2015. Haro is one of the most internationally praised finnish directors, and his films have.
Distributed by the california film institute, the fencer will be screened at 16 cinemas across the united states. The fencer is largely a quiet and understated movie. Adeptly directed by finnish filmmaker klaus haro, who emphasizes the. Vehkleja is a 2015 internationally coproduced drama film adapted from the life story of endel nelis, an accomplished estonian fencer and coach. Aug 24, 2017 there arent many films set during an era of soviet repression that qualify as feelgood, hearttugging sports films in the hoosiers vein, but the fencer, the true story of a top foil artist. The whole budget was merely 2m euro compare this with a huge hollywood blockbuster. Set in estonia in the 1950s, the fencer is the finnish contender for an oscar nomination in the foreign film category and it has already received a golden globe nomination for best foreign. Finnish director klaus haro has a sharp eye, and his shots deftly juxtapose the delicate beauty of the. The fencers inspirational comingofage arc is given added heft through sensitive direction, affecting performances, and a moving, factbased story.
Sep 27, 2016 palace films 2016 thefencer 2016 golden globe nominee best foreign language film 2016 academy awards best foreign languag. Set in estonia in the 1950s, the fencer is the finnish contender for an oscar nomination in the foreign film category and it has already. Jul 21, 2017 the estonianfinnish film, the fencer, premieres in new york on 21 july and runs until 1 september. Your top 10 finnish films, and a director thisisfinland. There he takes up a teaching position and endears himself. The fencer, a finnishestoniangerman coproduction drawn from a true. Dec 18, 2015 the estonianfinnish film, the fencer, has advanced, along with eight other films, in the race for the oscar for best foreignlanguage film, moving on to the next phase of voting for the 88th academy awards. Net the finnish oscar entry the fencer and the australian road movie last cab to darwin will serve as opening and closing night films at the 2016 palm springs. Finnish oscar entry the fencer to open palm springs film fest. Feb 12, 2019 after successfully collaborating on 2015s factinspired the fencer, finnish director klaus haro and scenarist anna heinamaa reteam for another lowkey wade into feelgood dramatic terrain.
Fleeing from the russian secret police because of his controversial past, a young estonian fencer named endel is forced to return to his homeland, where he begins to train a group of young children in the art of fencing. The fencer was originally submitted in september by finland, since the films director klaus haro is finnish. An audience favourite at the recent scandinavian film festival, klaus haros elegantly crafted, multi awardwinning drama is set in postwar, sovietoccupied estonia, and movingly depicts the true. Finlands official oscar contender offers a fictionalized take on a reallife. The fencer dresses up the underdog sports movie with a veneer of political intrigue. I became a movie freak when i was 11 years old, when i watched et, the extra terrestrial, haro says. Nov 18, 2014 the trailer for the estonian film the fencer released this week to youtube. The past however catches up and puts him in front of a difficult choice.
A young man moves to a small town in estonia, fleeing his past in leningrad. Fencer screened at helsinki film festival last week in the finnish film. The fencer, a finnishestoniangerman coproduction drawn from a true story, may be set in estonia in the early 1950s, when the soviet union occupied the country, but it follows squarely in. The artful filming and nuanced acting match the thoughtful script. The fencer s inspirational comingofage arc is given added heft through sensitive direction, affecting performances, and a moving, factbased story.
Haro grew up in porvoo, finland, and loved films as a little boy. Sep 28, 2015 already released domestically to critical acclaim, the fencer screened at helsinki film festival last week in the finnish film affair sidebar dedicated to locally produced features. The inspirationalteacher movie gets an effective, soberminded iteration in the fencer, a fictional account drawn from the life of the legendary estonian fencing master endel nelis. Full movies coverage the fencer is a finnishestoniangerman coproduction about what bastards the soviets were when they occupied estonia. The fencer, an estonianfinnishgerman coproduction whose story is based on a reallife sports figure and teacher, begins with its protagonist. Jul 20, 2017 the fencer, a finnishestoniangerman coproduction drawn from a true story, may be set in estonia in the early 1950s, when the soviet union occupied the country, but it follows squarely in. This movies hero is endel mart avandi, a champion fencer on the. The movie is partially based on the real life story of an estonian fencer endel nelis 19251993. This movies hero is endel mart avandi, a champion fencer on the run from leningrad. For those of us who appreciate foreign language films or at least dont mind reading subtitles, the fencer is a treasure. The movie acknowledges the consequences of such sacrifices and shows that faithful human relationships transcend historical and political circumstances. The fencer is a 2015 finnishgermanestonian historical drama. Vehkleja is a 2015 internationally coproduced drama film adapted from the life story of endel nelis. Director klaus haro s touching drama premiered in finland in march 2015, and has been nominated for the golden globe award in the best motion picture foreign language category.
Finnish movie the fencer tells tale of 1950s estonia euronews. The fencer is a minor film, but a very effective one that is well worth checking out. Finnish candidate for the best foreign language film in 2016 academy awards. Finnish film finds international distributor in hollywood. Fleeing from the russian secret police, a young estonian fencer is forced to return to his homeland, where he becomes a physical education teacher at a local school. The fencer was originally submitted in september by finland, since the film s director klaus haro is finnish. With mart avandi, ursula ratasepp, hendrik toompere sr. In the early 1950s, an ambitious young fencer, fleeing from stalins secret police, finds himself teaching rural children in an estonian coastal village. Mart avandi, kirill karo, ursula ratasepp, liisa koppel, joonas koff, egert kadastu, elbe reiter, annlisett rebane director. With topi majaniemi, marjaana maijala, maria lundqvist, michael nyqvist. Finland selects the fencer for foreignlanguage category. It was directed by klaus haro and written by anna heinamaa. Fleeing from the russian secret police, a young estonian fencer is forced to. Cfi releasing finnish director klaus haro has a sharp eye, and his shots deftly juxtapose the delicate beauty of the estonian lowlands with the harsh.
Apr 07, 2015 the international sales and distribution rights of finnish director klaus haros film the fencer miekkailija have been bought by an american distributor. Vehkleja is a 2015 internationally co produced drama film adapted from the life story of endel nelis. The fencer, an estonian finnish german coproduction whose story is based on a reallife sports figure and teacher, begins with its protagonist, endel, on board a train. I remember thinking if one can do such a thing, engaging people like that with a movie. The little film company picked up the rights after a contract was signed in hollywood. The fencer yify subtitles download, yts subtitles the fencer in any format.
Miekkailija the fencer is the best finnish film in a decade. Dec 01, 2015 the fencer movie is a finnish film that has been selected as an entry for the 88th annual academy awards which will be held in 2016. Endel, played by mart avandi, has a lean and haunted look from the start. Klaus haro the director is the leading finnish director today for the 3rd time it is one of his films that is the finnish entry to. During world war ii, more than 70,000 finnish children were evacuated to neutral sweden to avoid the conflict. Estonian movie the fencer screened in cinemas across the us. The fencer dresses up the underdog sports movie with a. The finnish oscar contender the fencer miekkailija directed by klaus haro has been nominated for a golden globe in the category of best foreign language film making it the first finnish film in 58 years to do so.
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