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THE FENCER (MIEKKAILIJA)
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Completed - RUSSIAN, ESTONIAN - Drama, Historical - 95 minutes

Log Line

The Fencer is a touching drama about love and a man who finds meaning in his life through the children who need him.

Year of production : 2015

Director(s) : Klaus HӒRӦ
Writer(s) : Anna HEINÄMAA
Cast : Mart AVANDI, Ursula RATASEPP, Hendrik TOOMPERE, Lembit ULFSAK, Liisa KOPPEL

Producer(s) : Kai NORDBERG (MAKING MOVIES OY), Kaarle AHO (MAKING MOVIES OY)

Synopsis

A young man, Endel Nelis, arrives in Haapsalu, Estonia, in the early 1950s. Having left Leningrad to escape the secret police, he finds work as a teacher and founds a sports club for his students. Endel becomes a father figure to his students and starts teaching them his great passion – fencing, which causes a conflict with the school’s principal. Envious, the principal starts investigating Endel’s background…

Endel learns to love the children and looks after them; most are orphans as a result of the Russian occupation. Fencing becomes a form of self-expression for the children and Endel becomes a role model. The children want to participate in a national fencing tournament in Leningrad, and Endel must make a choice: risk everything to take the children to Leningrad or put his safety first and disappoint them.

Production

Country(ies) : FINLAND, ESTONIA, GERMANY

Festivals and Awards

Tallinn Black Nights IFF 2015 Tridens Estonian Film Award
Beirut International Film Festival 2015
Kyoto Historica International Film Festival 2015
Cairo International Film Festival 2015
International Film Festival by the Sea 2015
Una Finestra Sul Nord 2015
Festival du Film Historique ASBL 2015
Northern Film Festival 2015
Nordic Film Days Lubeck 2015
Cinefest Sudbury's 27th edition 2015
Arras Film Festival 2015 (Atlas d’argent, Prix du public (Audience Award))
Munich International Film Festival 2015 (Bernard Wicki award)
Cambridge Film Festival 2015
Sao Paulo IFF 2015 (Nordic Focus)


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