TALLINN - If you're stuck in the city during the workweek, why not grab a breath of fresh air and head to scenic Matsalu National Park from Sept. 22-25 for its annual Wildlife and Environmental Film Festival?
Ecologically-minded film makers and photographers will come together at one of Europe's largest bird sanctuaries to exhibit everything from sprawling landscape to rare underwater creatures. Complimenting the exhibits will be a number of workshops and educational activities. This year's festival includes bird watching, a photo trip, a workshop on large print photography plus the usual film screeings, exhibits and an award ceremony. At least nine photographers are set to participate and over 10 films will be screened over the course of the weekend.
Modelled after Scandinavian and Nordic film festivals, this festival's international participants include artists from Sweden, Norway, Germany, the UK and Italy. Film festival director Tiit Mesila says it will be a useful meeting point for nature photographers and he is expecting several thousand people to come see the festival which started in 2003 with 2,500 visitors.
The festival's initial goal was to give Matsalu and Lihula an addtional cultural dimension. This was a clear sucess. On the heels of this success, the latest Lihula government initiative is to establish an Estonian environmental college which will collaberate with future festivals. Because Estonia has a large number of internationally known nature film makers, many of whom have won prizes at festivals, the Metsalu Film Festival encourages the growth of this talented community. The festival is organized by the Matsalu Wildlife & Environmental Film Festival non-profit organization in cooperation with the Lihula municipal government, Matsalu National Park and the Estonian Fund for Nature.
Some of this year's featured films include Germany's "The Cliffy Mountains of Mallorca," Finland's "The Pearls of the Baltic" and Estonia's "Spring on the Herring's Gull Land."
The Third Annual Metsalu Wildlife
and Environmental Film Festival
Sept. 22- 25, 2005
For more information visit
www.matsalufilm.ee
