My Family and Other Clowns
Life is complicated when your parents are world-famous clowns, Piip and Tuut.
For 25 years, world-famous Estonian clowns Haide and Toomas, better known as Piip and Tuut, have brought joy and laughter to children and families across the globe. But behind the face paint and curtain lies a different story. While entertaining thousands, their own children – Emma, Siim, and Anni – have been growing up at home without them.
Eldest daughter Emma dreams of following in her parents’ footsteps, but balancing her passion for theatre with caring for her autistic brother and younger sister has forced her to grow up fast. Meanwhile, Haide and Toomas grapple with guilt, exhaustion, and the toll of trying to give their all both on stage and at home.
Warm, tender, and deeply human, “My Family and Other Clowns” is a moving portrait of ambition, sacrifice, and the fragile balance between art and parenthood. This heartfelt documentary will resonate with anyone who has ever chased a dream – and wondered what it costs.
Mike Arnott
Heilika Pikkov (1982) is an Estonian documentary filmmaker and manager of cultural programmes. She graduated from Tallinn University with a degree in Film and Television Directing. Her first feature documentary “Flowers from the Mount of Olives” (2013) premiered at the Locarno Film Festival and had a great success in Estonian cinemas. Her short documentary “My Flesh and Blood” (2018) won the Best Short Film of the Year at the Estonian Film and Television Awards. She worked as the organiser and programmer of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival animation festival Animated Dreams. Her films have been screened at several international festivals, including the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and DocPoint Helsinki.
Filmograafia:
Õlimäe õied (2013, doc), Juured (2018, doc, segment), Minu pere ja muud klounid (2025, doc, co-dir)
Liina Särkinen (1980) is an Estonian documentary filmmaker and producer. She studied television directing at the Tallinn Pedagogical University and later earned a master’s degree in TV History and Film Production in London, where she also worked in immersive cinema and taught at Westminster University. Her notable works include the documentaries “Why Don’t I Leave?” (2018) and “Estonian Oil” (2020). Särkinen also runs the international youth film festival Koolifilm in Tallinn.
Filmograafia:
Minu pere ja mud klounid (2025, doc, co-dir)