<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> This article aims to find out how Soviet Estonian documentaries constructed the national discourse in the 1960s, by focusing on the case of the 10-minute documentary Ruhnu (1965) by Andres Sööt. Ruhnu was the first Soviet Estonian documentary released after World War II that romanticised Estonian nationalism. In order to narrate the national ideals considered undesirable by the official ideology, the Soviet Estonian filmmakers often chose to portray characters embedded in the national consciousness as archetypal heroes from pre-Soviet times and the landscapes associated with them. In the desire for past times, national heroes and idealised landscapes were constructed and naturalised in a contemporary context. The article raises the question - what kind of heroes, landscapes and activities were used to construct the national identity and which elements of film language were used? The research method used, critical discourse analysis, allows us to analyse the archetypes created in the documentary and the archetypal landscapes used as a framework for the narrative.</abstract>

Constructing National Identity in Soviet Estonian Documentary Cinema: A Case Study of the Documentary Ruhnu (1965) by Andres Sööt

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> In my article I concentrate on works by three female artists - Natalia LL, Ewa Partum and Teresa Tyszkiewicz. Natalia LL and Ewa Partum started their careers inspired by conceptual tradition, later they extended their interests to feminist concepts, including the image of women, the position of women in a patriarchal society, and the woman as an object to be consumed. Teresa Tyszkiewicz began her artistic activity a decade later; thus, the reflexes of the conceptual trend are less visible in her films than in the works of LL and Partum. Her films can be described as symbolic, dedicated to corporeality and sensuality. Unlike LL and Partum, Tyszkiewicz did not consider her works to be connected to feminism or examples of women’s art.</abstract>

Women’s Experimental Filmmaking in Poland in the 1970s and Early 1980s

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> Aki Kaurismäki is arguably the best-known Finnish filmmaker, owing largely to his feature films such as Crime and Punishment (Rikos ja rangaistus, Finland, 1983), Calamari Union (Finland, 1985), Shadows in Paradise (Varjoja paratiisissa, Finland, 1986), Hamlet Goes Business (Hamlet liikemaailmassa, Finland, 1987), Ariel (Finland, 1988), The Match Factory Girl (Tulitikkutehtaan tyttö, Finland, 1990), I Hired a Contract Killer (Finland/ Sweden, 1990), La vie de bohéme (Finland/France/ Sweden/Germany, 1992), Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatiana (Pidä huivista kiinni, Tatjana, Finland/Germany, 1994), Drifting Clouds (Kauas pilvet karkaavat, Finland, 1996), Juha (Finland, 1999), The Man Without a Past (Mies vailla menneisyyttä, Finland, 2002), Lights in the Dusk (Laitakaupungin valot, Finland, 2006) and Le Havre (Finland/France, 2011). A large body of his work has been made in Finland, but also in countries like France and Great Britain. Besides feature films, he has also made documentaries and short films, as well as musical films with the group Leningrad Cowboys. In a broader context, Kaurismäki has a unique place in Finnish and international film history, as well as in media and communication culture. Kaurismäki’s cultural context includes elements that have been turned into national and transnational symbols of social communication and narrative interaction by his stylisation. The director’s cinematic strategy investigates and makes choices evoking a social understanding of characters that has special communicative value. Kaurismäki’s films have been scrutinised for over thirty years.</abstract>

Slowly Moving Bodies: Signs of Pictorialism in Aki Kaurismäki’s Films

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> The article uses Vladimir Propp’s Morphology of the Folktale (Морфолоƨuя сказкu, 1928) as a framework to illustrate the way in which Aleksei Balabanov masterfully creates a modern folk tale using classic motifs and structures in his 1997 film Brother (Браm, Russia) and its sequel Brother 2 (Браm 2, Russia, 2000). The paper argues that Brother and Brother 2 are post-Soviet retellings of classic tales of Russian folklore and that Danila is a modern hero, an unlikely saviour of the Russian nation and the Russian soul. Danila’s journey is formulaic, predictable and straightforward, yet nevertheless makes for a powerfully new take on concepts of Russian nationalism and heroism. The underworld to which our hero must journey is located in the heart of Russia’s ‘Peter’, and possession of the Russian nation and soul are the object of his quest in the volatile post-Soviet period.</abstract>

Folk Elements in Aleksei Balabanov’s Brat and Brat 2: A Morphological Analysis

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> This article explores the ways in which different external and internal factors (especially politics and economics) have encouraged or hindered the evolution of Estonian Public Broadcasting. This article argues that the Estonian government’s ‘idealisation’ of market forces that is supported by European Union (EU) media policy and driven by the common market ideology does not take into account the actual abilities of a small country’s media companies to provide a wide range of media services, and thereby limits the offerings of high-quality local content. The research methodology is based on an analysis of EU media policy documents, Estonian media legislation and broadcasters’ annual reports in the period from 1992 to 2014. The main finding of this article is that official Estonian media policy is largely shaped by the financial results of private media companies.</abstract>

The Undercurrents of Estonian Broadcasting Regulation, 1992–2014

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> The first thing this article tries to do is discuss the Estonian audiovisual media and content production system in its entirety - i.e. to look at film, television and interactive audiovisual services as an increasingly integrated system. Secondly, it tries to understand the issues that this convergence process presents to these formerly distinct sub-fields of the audiovisual culture, as well as for the country’s cultural policy makers. Thirdly, it presents an alternative rationale for audiovisual policymaking - reconceptualising the policy in support of an ‘innovation system’. The aim of this policy would be to improve ‘innovation coordination’ - to make the system generate more innovative cultural forms and representations, which at the aggregate level would translate into increased cultural diversity. The article assesses the innovation coordination within the Estonian audiovisual media and content production system.</abstract>

Audiovisual Policymaking in Estonia at Times of Convergence: An ‘Innovation System’ as a Policy Rationale

Book Review. Scandinavian Perspective: Towards a Baltic Film Industry

Book Review. Transmediality and Cultural Semiotics

Book Review. Jarmo Valkola, Filmi audiovisuaalne keel

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Baltic Screen Media Review

 Why subscribe and read   Only journal in the Baltic Sea Region that focuses on all forms of audiovisual culture emerging from the region and approaches these from a fiercely interdisciplinary angle – incorporating conceptual and methodological insights deriving from film and media studies, new media studies, culture studies, media innovation and management studies, political economy of media and cultural industries, media policy studies, etc.   Why submit      Quick, fair and constructive double-blind peer review   Good visibility in the scholarly target community      Rejection Rate    40%      The core mission of Baltic Screen Media Review is to publish original and critical research articles on a variety of screen media forms and phenomena that are either produced in or represent the cultures and realities of the Baltic region. Therein we define the Baltic region flexibly – it may not only refer to the three Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), but include all the countries and cultures around the Baltic Sea, a region typically neglected in film and media studies. Our specific interest is to discuss and critically analyze the interconnections and exchanges between the countries of the region and their audiovisual cultures. The term ‘screen media’ indicates that the journal’s focus is ‘convergent’ – we publish articles on film, television, interactive media, video art, video games, mobile augmented reality, etc. Manuscripts scrutinizing the co-evolution of these various screen media forms are given a priority. We also invite articles on the full spectrum of audiovisual culture and different methodological takes on it – including textual analyses, accounts on education, production, exhibition, distribution and reception, as well as reflections on relevant theories and frames of references.   The journal is currently published twice a year and is a blind peer-reviewed journal addressed to the international scholarly community.   Archiving   Sciendo archives the contents of this journal in Portico - digital long-term preservation service of scholarly books, journals and collections.   Plagiarism Policy   The editorial board is participating in a growing community of Similarity Check System's users in order to ensure that the content published is original and trustworthy. Similarity Check is a medium that allows for comprehensive manuscripts screening, aimed to eliminate plagiarism and provide a high standard and quality peer-review process. 

Baltic Screen Media Review

Volume 3 (2015): Issue 1 (November 2015)

ARTICLES

Constructing National Identity in Soviet Estonian Documentary Cinema: A Case Study of the Documentary Ruhnu (1965) by Andres Sööt

Women’s Experimental Filmmaking in Poland in the 1970s and Early 1980s

Slowly Moving Bodies: Signs of Pictorialism in Aki Kaurismäki’s Films

Folk Elements in Aleksei Balabanov’s Brat and Brat 2: A Morphological Analysis

The Undercurrents of Estonian Broadcasting Regulation, 1992–2014

COMMENTARIES

Audiovisual Policymaking in Estonia at Times of Convergence: An ‘Innovation System’ as a Policy Rationale

BOOK REVIEWS

Book Review. Scandinavian Perspective: Towards a Baltic Film Industry

Book Review. Transmediality and Cultural Semiotics

Book Review. Jarmo Valkola, Filmi audiovisuaalne keel

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