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The Turnip

The film's story is based on the Slavic folktale, which has been told for ages by the peasants point of view. The film shows story from underground angle - giving overview what really happened while peasants were engaged in the cultivation of vegetables. Also about property, collaboration and betrayal.

  • Piret Sigus
    Director
  • Silja Saarepuu
    Director
  • Piret Sigus
    Producer
  • Piret Sigus
    Writer
  • Silja Saarepuu
    Writer
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Naeris
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Short
  • Genres:
    children's film, folktale, fairytale
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes 12 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 1, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    70,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Estonia
  • Country of Filming:
    Estonia
  • Language:
    No Dialogue
  • Shooting Format:
    RAW 5616x3744
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Cannes Short Film Festival 2022
    Cannes
    France
    February 21, 2022
    Official selection
  • NÖFF 2022
    Rapla
    Estonia
    March 12, 2022
    Official selection
  • Mecal Pro 2022 Barcelona International Short & Animation Festival
    Barcelona
    Spain
    March 24, 2022
    Spanish premiere
    Official selection
  • Detroit International Festival of Animation
    Detroit
    United States
    May 7, 2022
    North American premiere
    Official selection
  • Plein la Bobine
    Issoire; La Bourboule
    France
    May 9, 2022
    Prix de Jury - Competition Pico
  • Kotka International Film Festival
    Kotka
    Finland
    May 20, 2022
    Official selection
  • One Earth Awards
    Delhi
    India
    March 31, 2022
    Asian Premiere
    Official selection
  • Indie Cinema Awards
    Helsinki
    Finland
    Finnish pemiere
    Semifinalist
  • Animatricks
    Helsinki
    Finland
    Official selection
  • IAFF golden Kuker
    Sofia
    Bulgaria
    Official selection
  • Inca Imperial International Film Festival
    Lima
    Peru
    Latin American Premiere
    BEST SHORT FILM ANIMATION
  • Nenagh Children’s Film Festival
    Nenagh
    Ireland
    Irish Premiere
    BEST SHORT ANIMATION
  • Festival du Film d’Animation de Savigny
    Savigny
    Switzerland
    Official selection
  • Maracay International Film & Video Festival MIFVIF
    Maracay
    Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
    BEST ANIMATION SHORT FILM
  • SMOF
    Buenos Aires
    Argentina
    Official selection
  • Festival du Film court en plein air de Grenoble
    Grenoble
    France
    Official selection
  • Rural Film Fest
    Alicante
    Spain
    Official selection
Director Biography - Piret Sigus, Silja Saarepuu

PIRET SIGUS (1976 ) Is an independent animation artist and director. Graduated Academia Grata department of Estonian Academy of Arts in 2004. She has been working in Nukufilm studio. She is a founder and owner of cut-out animation studio Animailm. Author of animated music videos for punk band Kurjam.
Filmography: "Tiit and Selma" (2000) - Theodor Luts Film Days Grand Prix, "Curious Ox Sale" (2004) - Theodor Luts Film Days best animation, PÖFF spectators prize
“47”, “Death at Christmas eve” 
co-author of Animailm projects: “One By One!”(2011),”The Pipe Piper”(2014), “Wedding Game”(2015), “Leelo and wolf”(2015), “The Turnip” (2022)

SILJA SAAREPUU (1973) Artist and filmmaker. Graduated Estonian Academy of Arts in 2004. Has been teaching drawing and welding in Estonian Academy of Arts, has been curating and designing exhibitions. Freelance artist - working on field of interdisciplinary arts creating and using stories of little people living on Earth and rolling stones on fields of different realities.
Filmography:
co-artist “Wedding Game”(2015), artist “Leelo and Wolf” (2015) , co-author of animation “The Turnip”(2022)

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Director Statement

Animailm is an independent cut-out animation studio.

With our film “The Turnip” we want to show what really happened - what was going on underground while up on ground action is widely known.
We want the viewer to experience unusual view angle of quite over-exploited folktale and get the answer - what was the struggle about and was the turnip really so giant as told.
It is also a story about property, collaboration and betrayal.

“The Turnip” is dedicated to Peipsiveere Old believers community.
The visual of the film has split horizontally into two worlds - on the underground “real world” we used dark cross-stitched background; the on-ground “other world” lubok like embroideries are contour-stitched.

Estonia is a small country but has rich folk culture which differs by localities. Animailm has aim to make every new film with dedication some certain area - using local ethnographical patterns and crafts techniques and co-operate with local crafts makers.

It was quite a challenge to make this film during Covid-19 restriction, it was solely possible with the small crew as we had.
The preparations for the film turned out to be little different and took longer than planned. We had planned to hire bigger group of crafts makers embroidering set layers details. But in reality because the contacts were restricted, we could only work with much smaller group of people and had start needleworks by ourselves which of course caused delays of filming in studio.

We were fortunate to get the equipment for this project because how else we could have spend the time while lockdown.

This film will always be special to us because it is our first duo project - planned, designed, embroidered, directed, filmed, cut.

We were fortunate to raise the funds for this film by Estonian Film Institute but
also by Folk culture department of Cultural Endowment of Estonia to cover partly crafts makers work.

The experience working on this film will help us with future projects because of new co-operation contacts, we also learned to organise timetable better and not to forget to count on schedule also time for families and leisure on summer weekends.

Piret Sigus and Silja Saarepuu