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  • A Friend of Mine

    III edition

    A Friend of Mine

    Title A FRIEND OF MINE
    Original title Üks mu sõber
    Country Estonia
    Year of production 2011
    Scriptwriter Mart Kivastik
    Director Mart Kivastik
    ScripTeast Edition III
    Creative Advisors George Sluizer, Phil Hughes
    Head of Studies Tom Abrams
    Krzysztof Kieślowski ScripTeast Award / Special Mention
    Producers/co-producers/ funding / Exitfilm
    Sales agent
    Distributor Exitfilm
    Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywcuv8vZeWs
    Poster http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1820369/
    Festivals/ awards/ cinema results
    Synopsis When tragedy touches our lives, it is difficult to remain motivated. Seventy-year-old Mati is a passionate books reader who shares his free time with his sweet wife. When his wife passes, however, neither his adolescent daughter nor his dear books are of any help. Loneliness and indifference overrun his life; Mati plots his suicide, but a strange 60-year-old man seems to offer him hope.
    Full Credits http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1820369/?ref_=nv_sr_2
    Link to the project – archive http://scripteast.pl/a-friend-of-mine-2/

     

    ARNE (70), is a passionate bibliophile who works for his hobby – he´s got a job at the library. The little rest of his time he shares with his sweet wife. Then one sudden day brings the death to his spouse. A whole life of stability crashes. Nor his adolescent daughter or dear books are of any help. Loneliness and indifference overrun his life and Arne plots a suicide.

    A strange wayfarer SASS (60), who travels with a backpack of books and frequents public libraries to read the newspapers, brings forth a change. Bit by bit he starts to provide Arne with the interest for life again. This is a warm expression of solitude and friendship, played out between funny old men in an ennobled setting of books.

    Arne’s soul is starting to heal. Music therapy is helpful too. BBB – Bach, Beethoven and Beatles. But when Arne gets out of the hospital his world collapses. He cannot go back to his home full of painful memories. Sass invites Arne to move in with him. And Ruth too. Because it’s fun to be together!

    Sass, Arne and Ruth move to the country to live in Sass’s house. The life is, indeed, beautiful! Only Ruth cannot still chose between the two men. One day she dresses up and offers herself to Arne. Arne refuses. The next evening, however, Arne finds Sass at his door, also dressed up in an extremely pretty frock, asking Arne to kiss him. Well, if he does not like women at all … Arne is an old fashioned man and is not up for such games. Arne leaves. Ruth, however, stays with Sass.

    One day Arne returns. Sass is still in a good mood, only he is in a wheelchair now. He has fallen off a roof, when he went up there to rescue a cat. He cannot even move a toe. ‘Great!’ says Sass. Everything will be all right anyway!

    Arne kisses Sass on the cheek, as Sass asked that night. As a friend.

    Estonia

    Mart Kivastik

    Scriptwriter and story editor.
    His first short story was published in the literary magazine Vikerkaar in July 1987. Since then Mart Kivastik has published stories and articles on literature, theatre and films in the magazines and in the newspapers.
    Books published include : Tomorrow, Sparrow, Love stories, President’s children, The Portrait of a Freezing Artist to name a few.
    Film credits as a scriptwriter unclude full-lenght Firewate, Taarka and a number of short films. Mart Kivastik is also a playwright, whose plays have been stages all over Estonia and abroad.

    Member of the Estonian Writers Society and FIPRESCI.

    Prizes:
    Prize for the best play from Estonian Culture Foundation (2000 and 2005)
    Friedebert Tuglas prize for short story (1999), Ed. Vilde literature prize (2005), Lääne-Virumaa literature prize (2007), Baltic Theatre Festival prize for the play Hellish Stuff (2006).

    Udayan Prasad

    “ScripTeast is the programme all the advisors wish they could have attended at the start of their careers. It would have saved all that stumbling around in the dark looking for the key that stimulates the imagination so much more effectively.”

    BAFTA nominated, director of “My Son the Fanatic”, “The Yellow Hankerchief” and ”Opa!”, 5th edition ScripTeast creative advisor, UK

    Tom Abrams

    “ScripTeast’s top-notch team of professional advisors, each year’s talented group of participants, and venues in Poland, Germany and France continue to make it the very best development workshop in the world today.”

    ScripTeast Head of Studies, Associate Professor – Screenwriting and Production at School of Cinematic Arts, USC, screenwriter and director, author of the script for the Oscar-nominated film “Shoeshine”, USA

    Scott Alexander

    “ScripTeast is a fascinating mix of cultures, political ideas, and voices. I learned a lot, and I think the participants learned a lot more. If only they served vodka!”

    Golden Globe awarded author of “The People vs. Larry Flynt” and “Ed Wood” with two Oscars, 5th edition ScripTeast creative advisor, USA