Baltic premiere

Who am I Smiling for?

Local title
Kellele ma naeratan?
Director
Eeva Mägi
Country
Estonia
Year
2023
Festival
23rd Youth and Children's Film Festival
Programme
Doc@Just, Children's Rights Programme
Genre
drama
Subject
child-parent relationships, sibling relationships, child in a grown ups role

Mari, a young woman facing last stage cancer, is fighting fiercely over the custody rights of her children, trying to prove that in spite of her condition, she is still a fully capable mother. In the middle of all this, her 12-years-old son Oliver is trying, against all odds, to stay cheerful and brave, supporting his mother in every way. In her sensitive and wise way Mari is preparing Oliver for her demise, giving him guidance for life and consolation, promising to be in touch even after her death. When the day becomes, Oliver keeps sharing his life with his mother.

Who Am I Smiling For?, a documentary by Eeva Mägi, tells a story about the strength of motherly love and fight for her children literally to her last breath. It’s a film about the coming of age of a boy amidst deep and irreversible changes, while trying to find his own way to mourn and understand the world.

Age recommendation: 14+

Director
Eeva Mägi
Cast
Oliver Cypriano, Mari Minn, Urmas Minn, Maie Minn, Martin Minn
Producer
Kristofer Piir
Co-producer
Dora Nedeczky
Cinematographer
Sten-Johan Lill
Editor
Kersti Miilen
Writer
Eeva Mägi, Oliver Cypriano
Composer
Tanel Kadalipp
Sound
Ranno Tislar
Production
Allfilm
Runtime
Language
Estonian
Subtitles
English
Director
Eeva Mägi

Eeva Mägi (1987) graduated from documentary filmmaking at the Baltic Film and Media School. Since then, she has directed successful shorts such as “Lembri Uudu” (2017) and hybrid short doc “The Weight of All The Beauty” (2019) which was longlisted at the Oscars after winning “Best Short Doc” at Melbourne IFF; or her latest short “3rd Octave F” (2022) that kicked off at Winterthur, then won “Best Estonian short” at PÖFF Shorts so far. Mägi received the Young Filmmaker’s Award from the Estonian Cultural Endowment in 2018, and the DocPoint Tallinn Young Filmmaker Award in 2019. ""Mo Mamma"" is her first feature debut.

Filmography:
Mo Mamma (2023), Kellele ma naeratan (2023, doc)

Screenings

Chill-Hall Apollo Kino Coca-Cola Plaza
Screening020703 / Kellele ma naeratan?
SubtitlesEnglish
Q&A guestsEeva Mägi (Director, Screenwriter), Oliver Cypriano (Co-screenwriter, Cast), Kristofer Piir (Producer), Sten-Johan Lill (Director of photography), Tanel Kadalipp (Composer)
Q&A duration
Screening duration
7th Hall Apollo Kino Coca-Cola Plaza
Screening060704 / Kellele ma naeratan?
SubtitlesEnglish
Q&A guestsEeva Mägi (Director, Screenwriter), Oliver Cypriano (Screenwriter, Cast), Tanel Kadalipp (Composer)
Q&A duration
Screening duration
Hall Electric Cinema, Tartu
Screening144201 / Kellele ma naeratan?
SubtitlesEnglish
Screening duration
Trailer
PÖFF TV - Meet the Filmmakers