“We might be small, but we’re quick, flexible, and deeply committed, and that approach makes us truly competitive,” said Edith Sepp, CEO of the Estonian Film Institute. More than 1,700 accredited guests from over 50 countries are pouring into town for the biggest film bash of the year: the Black Nights Film Festival and Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event.
Sepp is particularly proud of her country’s post-production facilities and crew, describing them as “highly skilled, inventive and a pleasure to work with.” She adds, “The facilities in Tallinn can handle everything from sound and color to visual effects, and the quality is world-class.”
Our competitiveness is best illustrated by the company Frost FX, which received an Emmy Award for special visual effects in the HBO series *The Penguin*. “This is a great example of how Estonian talent continues to shine globally,” she insists.
According to the Estonian Film Institute, the cash rebate—specifically for post-production—is a unique advantage, though perhaps not so well-known abroad. The minimum spend to benefit from a 20% tax rebate on eligible production costs is €30,000 ($34,000). Spending €50,000 ($57,800) raises the rebate to 25%, and €80,000 ($92,000) qualifies for the maximum 30% rebate, according to Film Estonia guidelines.
Recent projects that have used solely Film Estonia’s post-production incentive include the Finnish crime show *All the Sins* (Seasons 1, 2, 3), produced by MRP Matila Röhr Productions. Post-production services ranged from offline editing by Tambet Tasuja, visual effects by Frost FX, to the creation of promo clips and trailers by Tallinn Postworks, according to Estonian co-production outfit Taska Film.
Another beneficiary was the Icelandic film *Driving Mum* by Hilmar Oddsson, co-produced by Estonia’s Alexandra Film. The production hired Estonian sound designers, editor Hendrik Mägar (also involved with Anna Hinds’ Sundance winner *Smoke Sauna Sisterhood*), and composer Tõnu Kõrvits. Kõrvits won Best Original Score for the film at the 2022 Black Nights Film Festival, where *Driving Mum* also took home the Grand Prize.
“Post-production has become the talk of the town,” said film commissioner Nele Paves, who manages Film Estonia’s total €6.2 million ($7.1 million) annual cash rebate fund. “Separating post-production spend from production spend to access foreign incentives is becoming widespread.”
Paves highlights Film Estonia’s strengths: “We are super quick, transparent, and flexible. We offer auditing after the production, giving rebates then, so producers don’t have to wait for the last bits of post-production. Decisions and rebates can be obtained within a month, which is unusual for a public fund.”
She is currently lobbying the Estonian government to increase the 30% cap on the cash rebate and to open the incentive to national productions. “We need to keep our talent and make our incentives even more competitive. Politicians need convincing, but we’re hopeful for 2026,” Paves concluded.
https://variety.com/2025/film/global/driving-mum-all-the-sins-film-estonia-1236581899/