Ursel Tilk was awarded the Bruno O'Ya Young Film Actor Scholarship this year.

The winner of the €1,000 scholarship was announced at the opening ceremony of the Black Nights Film Festival. Unfortunately, the recipient was unable to attend due to a performance at the Estonian Drama Theatre.

In a video recorded a few days earlier at a rehearsal for Hamlet, where the previous scholarship winner Märten Metsaviir presented him with the award, he said, "I want to thank my family, my partner, and all the directors and teachers."

Ursel Tilk, who is 30 years old, has played leading roles in Rainer Sarnet's film The Invisible Fight and Moonika Siimets' film The Black Hole. He has received two annual awards from the Audiovisual Arts Endowment Fund of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia and the Estonian Film and Television Award (EFTA) for Best male actor.

In addition to the scholarship, the laureate received valuable Polish literature as a gift from the Polish Embassy. This literature has also inspired many filmmakers.

In his speech, Polish Ambassador Artur Jan Orzechowski emphasised that Bruno O'Ya has a special meaning for him. 'His roles were perfectly dubbed in beautiful Polish.
That's why I was convinced for a long time that he was Polish — with just an intriguing, slightly Irish-sounding surname.'

According to Orzechowski, O'Ya left behind a large circle of admirers during his 25 years in Poland, most of whom were women. "Women were enchanted by him – he was Poland's answer to the charming Sean Connery."

Bruno O'Ya (1933–2002) was one of the most internationally renowned Estonian actors. He appeared in almost 60 films, the most famous of which was Vytautas Žalakevičius's Nobody Wanted to Die, for which O'Ya received the USSR State Prize in 1967. From the late 1960s onwards, O'Ya lived and worked mainly in Poland.

The Bruno O'Ya Foundation for the Support of Young Estonian Actors awards the scholarship to young actors with the potential to pursue an international career, to support their self-development.

Ursel Tilk is also participating in this year's "Black Nights Stars" talent programme at the PÖFF film industry event, Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event.
The Black Nights Film Festival runs until 23 November.

For more information about the Bruno O'Ya Foundation, click HERE.

Photo: Ursel Tilk at the Estonian premiere of the film The Invisible Fight at PÖFF 2023. Photo by Erlend Štaub.