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Ago Ruus

Ago Ruus

Camera

Biography

Ago Ruus (born on August 4, 1949 Vastseliina, Võru County) is an Estonian film cinematographer and director. In 1979 he graduated from All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography. From 1970 to 1971, 1973 to 1974, and 1979 to 1993 he worked at Tallinnfilm. In 1996 he established the film studio PROfilm. Since 2003 he has been the artistic director (Estonian: kunstiline juht) of Matsalu International Nature Film Festival. In 2007 he was awarded with Order of the White Star, V class.

Known For

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In the same vein as Meri's other documentations, this one takes advantage of the glasnost policy to discuss the social and ecologic impact of the Russian oil industry on the natives and the lands they inhabit.

Son of Torum

1989
Dead Mountaineer's Hotel
6.2

The police get a call-out to a lonely hotel in the Alps. When an officer gets to the hotel everything seems to be alright. Suddenly, an avalanche cuts them off from the rest of the world and strange things start happening.

Dead Mountaineer's Hotel

1979
For Crazies Only
4.8

A young man is taken to a small town hospital after a suicide attempt. Rita is a beautiful married Russian nurse taking care of him.

For Crazies Only

1991
The Wild Swans
6.0

Once upon a time, a King had eleven sons and one daughter. When his wife, the Queen, died, the King remarried. The new wife and the children's stepmother looks beautiful on the outside, but actually she's an evil witch. She sends the young princess Eliise to live in the village as an ordinary peasant girl and turns all the princes into wild swans. The princes are stuck being swans all day long and only at night can they regain their true form. When Eliise is 15 years old, she learns about the fate of her brothers and now she must overcome the obstacles put in her way by her stepmother in order to release her brothers from the spell.

The Wild Swans

1987
Bumpy
6.8

Brother and sister Kusti and Iti get lost in a forest while picking strawberries and are captured by an evil forest hag. They are made to work for her. The hag has a son called Bumpy whom Iti befriends. When they get a chance to escape, they decide to take Bumpy with them.

Bumpy

1981
Forest Captain
4.7

Sailing to South America, the sailing ship "Fortuna" gets stuck in a calm in the middle of the Atlantic. Heat and thirst drive the team crazy, knives are already flashing and the wind is being conjured in the darkness of the night. Captain Kihnu Jõnn has to tame desperate men and trade with heavenly forces in order to bring the ship's crew to the destination port, who want to leave him there.

Forest Captain

1972
Karoliine's Silver Yarn
5.0

Karoliine is a spoiled and selfish princess who will meet swamp ogres and sleep fairies, a mermaid and a werewolf on her journey. A bunch of robbers will take her to their cave. Despite having a smart and helpful guide Kaspar with her, Karoliine has to get rid of her selfishness and inconsideration towards others. She is gradually becoming braver and good-hearted that will eventually lead her to the presence of real love.

Karoliine's Silver Yarn

1985
Peace Avenue
9.0

On Christmas Eve, the residents of Peace Avenue discover that there are military guards in front of their houses. Soon they have to start showing their passports when entering their homes. The residents are told by the authorities that in order to keep the peace they have to be ready to co-operate. It is an order and people stick to it. It is heard that the foreign troops will leave when the snow will be gone - so it won't be long until the everyday life will be normal again. When spring arrives, not only the snow disappears but also lots of residents. Those who stay will look forward to the Midsummer Day.

Peace Avenue

1991
Puud olid...
9.0

Typhus has killed the father, mother and older son of Palanumäe farm. Hind, younger son, realizes that he won't be able to manage the shabby farm alone. Paabu, the wife of older son, is good at housework and Hind likes her; however, more help than that is needed for maintaining the farm. Jaak, the farmhand, does more harm than good. The rumour is around that when converting to orthodoxy one will lead better life in a warm country - this, of course, attracts Hind, but angers the estate owners. How come this young inexperienced man wants something else than serving the Livonian feudals?

Puud olid...

1986
Hysteria
4.4

A rock ‘n’ roll road movie, an absurd comedy and a modern love story between the Finn Sam and the Estonian Mari taking place in the newly independent, poetically nightmarish Baltic countries.

Hysteria

1993
Doctor Stockmann
4.0

Toomas Stockmann, the head doctor of a water clinic built in a small town by the sea, discovers that the facility is threatened by an infection caused by construction errors in the waterworks. The powerful mayor Peter Stockmann, the doctor's brother, has used his position and connections for commercial and political gain and has ignored the doctor's warnings. The upper class of the town initially supports the doctor's decision to reveal the truth, but the mayor changes due to pressure and personal interests. Dr. Stockmann is labeled an enemy of the people. He must choose whether to stick to his ideas, at the risk of his family, or surrender to demagoguery.

Doctor Stockmann

1989
Too Tired to Hate
8.0

This modern western depicting juvenile crime takes as its theme the struggle of an individual against a vicious circle of violence. The spiral of violence and revenge is only broken when one person conquers himself and refuses to continue the vendetta. Siim, a 14-year old who grew up in the streets, is only spared the violence because he has a natural antipathy to it. Ultimately he too is caught up in the fighting when he tries to save money for his girlfriend's Christmas gift and the cash is stolen.

Too Tired to Hate

1995
American Mountains
10.0

A former goldminer who has run afoul of the law is made an unusual offer by the mafia. The power of money and popularity among women won't let him step down from the rollercoaster in order to make the right decisions.

American Mountains

1994
Lamb in the Down Right Corner
6.8

A warm movie about two boys, who discover a secret of a painting that was considered to be lost. The adventures begin, when a boss of a bunch of criminals finds out about the painting.

Lamb in the Down Right Corner

1992
Closed Circle
8.0

In a small Swedish town, the murder of Frome, the owner of a public relations research firm, takes place. A day later, his friend Touraine, the police commissioner leading the investigation, is killed...

Closed Circle

1983
The Song of the Summer
7.0

While suffering creative and emotional crisis, singer Katrin gives a poor performance at the pop music contest. She decides to turn over a new leaf and write a song that would convey an important message both for herself and for the audience. Katrin's personal drama - the story about her doubts and self-realization - is accompanied by the performances of well-known pop musicians of 1970s and 1980s.

The Song of the Summer

1982
A Man Who Never Was
4.0

In the final weeks of the existence of the Soviet empire, a number of unusual films were released. In this wry Estonian comedy, a woman with an unusual talent for mimicry which eventually earns her a career on the radio between WWII and the Russian resettlement of that country (with a corresponding deportation of millions of Estonians to Siberia). In an absurd fashion, her self-generate sound effects help her get out of all sorts of scrapes with the authorities. When those fail, her incredible nonchalance succeeds. By the end of the film, it becomes clear that she has bestowed her inimitable imitative gift on her newborn son, as well.

A Man Who Never Was

1990
Dance Around the Steam Boiler
6.8

The movie travels through the 20th century by monitoring a steam boiler. We see the history of Estonia through life, agricultural work and people at different times.

Dance Around the Steam Boiler

1988
Father
7.0

Story about a single father who restricts every aspect of his life and tries to raise his son in the same way.

Father

1998
Don Juan in Tallinn
5.7

Don Juan arrives in Tallinn and soon the gossip spreads like wildfire. The local women trip over themselves to be seduced by him; the men race to defend their honor by challenging him to a duel. What no one knows is that Don Juan is a woman in disguise.

Don Juan in Tallinn

1973