Jānis Kalējs

In Soviet-era Estonia, three young mavericks drop everything and flee to Sweden, but soon learn the free world is not all it's cracked up to be.

A historical spy-thriller set in 1939 about an Estonian intelligence agent tasked with uncovering the Soviet double agent in their ranks.

In medieval Tallinn, a famous knight who is freed from the pirates of the Baltic Sea is murdered. The hero's head is cut off and his mouth is stuffed with coins. The gold chain he bought the same day is missing. The bailiff orders Melchior, an apothecary, to investigate the crime. The clever young man discovers that the slain was looking for a mysterious "Tallinn prisoner" and the traces lead to the Dominican monastery. A fabulous sequence of bloodwork is unleashed - anyone who comes into contact with this secret is in danger of dying.

In the middle of the night, a drunk town guard happens to meet the daughter of a rich merchant… who drowned herself into a well 10 years ago. Soon after the town guard falls dead from the tower. This is followed by two other suspicious deaths. Doubting the existence of the ghost, Melchior has a hunch that these ‘accidents’ are part of a heinous crime. Tracking down the killer, his path will cross with heretics, old feuds and dark family secrets.

Riga in the 30s. Wild bohemian lifestyle is the name of the game for every artist worth his salt. A young man from the countryside, poor but ambitious, arrives in the capital, where he hopes to make his mark in the artistic circles. What follows is a string of events, fraught with confusion and misunderstanding, hilarious and heart-warming at the same time.

Melchior’s bride Keterlyn happens to witness an attack on a young man. The victim, who has lost his memory, does not know who he is and how he ended up in a Tallinn. A ring found at the scene leads Melchior to the trail of the nocturnal brotherhood, questions are also raised by the troupe of freaks who performed on fair day. Ominous signs suggest that not only is the stranger recovering from a murder attempt at risk, but Melchior and Keterlyn as well. At the same time, an inquisitor known as a ruthless witch hunter arrives in town. Melchior's ability to "speak to the dead" and to notice invisible traces of murder have raised the suspicion that he may be a dangerous heretic. And the place of the enemy of the church is at the stake…

In the summer of 1987, Estonia languishes under Soviet rule, stifling free expression. 17-year-old Mihkel, a rebellious musician, and his rival Hendrik learn of a Finnish talent scout visiting Estonia. To impress him, they must journey to a distant rock festival on the other side of the country. They assemble a group, including Mihkel's secret love Liisa. Amid rivalry and chaos, they navigate challenges, discovering their true selves along the way.

Alice von Trota returns to her father’s manor in Latvia in 1919 to sell it and start a new life. She meets the hostile resistance of the local workers and discovers she has been lured into a carefully tailored trap set by a demonic lawyer, a decadent underground organisation and its necrophile leader. While escaping the clutches of her “helpers”, she meets some silent-cinema enthusiasts and learns to use the cinematograph as a tool for healing and self-discovery, as a weapon against her enemies and as a way to create a masterpiece.

Four directors capture simple, yet quintessential experiences of a single individual in different periods of his life - childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age.

At fifty years of age, film director Ivars Jansons has been unlucky in both his personal life and his creative work. Something inside him has broken under the constant pressure of compromise. Having left the big city and returned to his homeland, Ivars tries to rebuild his broken relationships with his wife, his son who grew up without him, and his friends who are trying to revive their creative imagination with the help of memories. The illusion of returning to the dreams and ideals of his youth and his selfish focus on himself prevent him from deeply and truly feeling the experiences of his loved ones and averting the impending tragedy.

A rookie policeman is left alone in a private clinic to guard a comatose suspect of World War II crimes. His shift is long over, yet nobody comes to replace him. However, the youngster is determined not to leave his post until he gets permission from his authorities to do so. Lack of sleep, loneliness, hunger and the persistence to serve his duty turn the young man into a ticking time bomb at the very wrong time. He must decide how far he can go guarding this suspect who is hated to death by everyone.