Veiko Õunpuu’s film based on 'Serafima and Bogdan' will soon begin filming

After thorough preparation and securing both state funding and private investment, production will commence on the action-packed drama Serafima, based on Vahur Afanasjev’s acclaimed novel Serafima and Bogdan.

The upcoming film Serafima is director Veiko Õunpuu’s interpretation and evolution of Vahur Afanasjev’s monumental work. The drama will tell a story of power, love, and betrayal, reflecting pressing issues of contemporary society. This is Veiko Õunpuu’s second literary adaptation after Autumn Ball.

The production company Nafta Films began preparations for Serafima back in 2021. According to producer Esko Rips, this is an exceptionally ambitious project, with securing the necessary funding being the greatest challenge. “Several years ago, Serafima received production funding from the Estonian Film Institute and the Cultural Endowment of Estonia. This year, we confirmed Polish and Latvian financing. The most recent co-producer to join was Apollo Film Productions, thanks to whom we will soon be able to begin filming in Latvia,” he said.

Apollo Film Productions producer Tanel Tatter sees great potential for the film not only in Estonia but also in neighbouring countries. “The production team is working with very strong source material. Vahur Afanasjev’s Serafima and Bogdan is an inseparable part of our cultural folklore. Nafta Films is a very close partner of ours – we have always supported each other with advice and action. In addition to our role as co-producer, Apollo Film Productions will also take responsibility for distributing the film in Estonia and across the Baltic states,” Tatter added.

The film’s director is Veiko Õunpuu (Autumn Ball, The Temptation of St. Tony, The Last Ones). The screenplay is written by Veiko Õunpuu and Martin Algus (The Traitor, Life and Love, Kalev). The cinematographer of Serafima is Mart Taniel (Autumn Ball, 1944, November). The film is produced by Nafta Films, whose portfolio includes the Apothecary Melchior trilogy, the spy thriller O2, and the recent winter release Real. Co-producers are Nafta Films Latvia, Polish company Orka Films, and Apollo Film Productions. Producers of Serafima are Andreas Kask and Esko Rips. Co-producers are Alicja Gancarz (Orka Films), Gunda Bergmane (Nafta Films Latvia), as well as Tanel Tatter and Veiko Esken from Apollo Film Productions.

The film is financed by the Estonian Film Institute, the Estonian Cultural Endowment (Eesti Kultuurkapital), Creative Europe Media, Estonian Public Broadcasting, Apollo Film Productions, the Polish Film Institute, the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, and the Riga Film Fund. The total budget of the film amounts to €2.2 million.