Jan Erik Holst mottok Terra Mariana-korset

Jan Erik Holst ble fredag 25. november 2022 tildelt den estiske ordenen Terra Mariana av 4. klasse.
Overrekkelsen fant sted i den estiske president Alar Karis’ residens i Kardriorg i Tallinn.

Estlandsnytt har gleden av å publisere hans tale i sin helhet.

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A speech for the President and the Ambassador regarding the President’s Terra Mariana Order in Tallinn November 25.

Dear Mr. President Alar Karis, dear Ms. Ambassador Else Berit Eikeland, dear Festival Director Tiina Lokk, dear filmmakers and friends of Estonia and Norway. I appreciate very much receiving the Terra Mariana Order for my work in promoting Estonian films in Norway.

The Order it self is outstanding. It was founded May 16th 1995 in the memory of the soverignety of Estonia. Two years earlier was my first visit to your country, when I was invited by Tiina Lokk and her husband Mathis Tramberg to Kino Maja and Cine Max for establishing Nordic Estonian Film Days. Later these days became PÖFF – the Black Night Film Festival.

Many famous Norwegians have received the Order, like Turid Farbregd, Martin Killi, Tor Ottar Karlsen and ambassador Kai Lie among others.

The order has it s name way back to 1215 when Pope Innocens III gave the Estonian country the name Terra Mariana, the country of Maria.

At that time, no sorry in 1993 (!) I thought Estonian was a more archaic language than Finnish, so I asked: I know that Film is called Elokuva in Finnish (Living pictures). What is it called in Estonian? They looked at me in a strange way and said: Film?

I have had the pleasure working with different Baltic Film Organisations, first with Riga Film Studio from 1990, then, in 1991, with Richard Bærug at the newly opened Office of Nordic Council of Ministers in Riga, and later in all three countries, and from 1996 with Lithuania’s festival Kino Pavasaris.

Besides establishing and working for The Baltic Film Days in Oslo, I did special arrangements at the Film Festival in Tromsø, at the Norwegian Film Festival in Haugesund, at the Master Studies of the Norwegian Film School and at the Cinemateque in Oslo.

What is then an Estonian film? Diversity and neo-realism in a crossroad between Kaurismäki, Tarkovsky and a Scandinavian biographical drama? Like any other Nordic film? No, more than that, I have found so many historical angels in your country’s production, outstanding Wolrd War II dramas like Names in Marbel or 1944 and from the Soviet occupation; The Fencer. Orthe impressive and magnificent In the Crosswind by Martti Helde, which I had the honour to introduce to Norwegian Film Students and to a broad audience at the cinemas. But also surrealistic black comedies like Mushrooming or The Mother or comedies pointing out a new erea, like Peter Urbla’s Shop of dreams. (Many congratulations to your Life Time Achievement Medal, Peter!)We have also seen outstanding films by Peter Simm and Ilmar Raag. During our Baltic Film Days in Oslo i October we saw a new generation coming; The Tree of Eternal Love, by Meel Paliale and his friends.

Hardi Volmer, a dear friend, has visited us in Norway three times, in Haugesund and in Oslo. His films All my Lenins, Firewater, Living Images and Gold spinners has impressed us. We were happy to introduce his new short film Buried in Europe at our Baltic Film Days this autumn, showed together with the outstanding documentary Women on the Frontline.

There are very good relations between Estonia and Norway at the film field. Many of us have participated at the magnificent PÖFF several times during the years, this festival has turned out to be one of the real leading festivals and meeting points in Europe the last years!

We have had arrangements in Tartu and a special location arrangement together with the NRK and the Nordic office here in Tallinn. Some co-productions have been made, among them Marius Holst’s King of Bastøy and the animated short film Eternal hunting grounds by Elin Grimstad, a co-production between Medieoperatørene and Nukufilm.

I have noticed that co-production is an important part of your film activity. Latvia, Lithuania and Georgia are among the chosen one. During a state visit to Oslo the Estonian and Georgian Embassies presented Tangerines, an outstanding Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee. It is nice to see it again during this year’s PÖFF.

We have had the pleasure seeing a lot of Estonian childen’s films in Norway, not only the Lotta films, but also Sipsik, which we luckily have in distribution with Norwegian voices. Also charming and colorful coming of age films, like The little comrade. Your country is a leading one in this field, competing the Scandinavians!

WHEN I DID THE FINAL WORK OF MY BOOK Stork flying over pinewood, Nordic Baltic Film Co-operation 1989 – 2014 at the cottage of Tiina Lokk, I asked her; who is the leading Estonian experimental filmmaker, the one competing Sarunas Bartas and Algimantas Puipa in Lithuania and Laila Pakalnina in Latvia? Her answer without any doubt was Sulev Keedus. We were lucky getting his films Georgica and Somnabulance to Oslo.

At the Regional University College in Volda, at the West Coast they do classes in animation, with Estonian professors, among them the distingushed Priit Pärn.

In Tallinn I have been lecturing at the Baltic film and Media School, where I donated a part of my film library, at Film History seminars at the National Archive and at your outstanding Film Museum and at arrangements within the BAAC-society.

Cultural exchanges between our two countries are most important. Arvo Pärt have visited Norway a one of the interesting Church Music festivals in Oslo. And I know that our ambassador Else Berit Eikeland will take an early flight tomorrow morning for the opening of the exhibition of Konrad Mägi at the Art Museum in Lillehammer, the painters’ capital in Norway.

Dear friends, I am especially happy to receive the order form a country who very early understood the importance of looking west, to EU and NATO, for ensuring the peace in Europe. Look what is now happening in Ukraina. The Russian management acts like any former Sovjet regime before Gorbatsjov. It could have happened to Estonia, to Finland, even to our northernmost county Finnmark in Norway.

Your National Day February 24. will always be remembered. The same day the Russian Tsar Putin started his «special operations». Shame on him.

Earlier this year I took the initiativ to arrange a Ukrainian Film Day at Vega Scene in Oslo, where we showed some new Ukrainian films, with introductions and discussions. The Baltic, BelaRussian, Ukrainian and Polish Societies were participating, along with the ordinary audience. The Nordic countries, including Estonia and the Baltic countries have friends and neighbours in Ukraina and BelaRussia, Let’s never forget that!

A toast to us all, and Tänan väga!