Jaak Kilmi

Jaak was born in 1973. Graduated from the Department of Culture of Tallinn University and majored in film directing, he has (co-)directed and produced a string of successful short films; a number of documentary films and five feature films. His films have been awarded internationally and have enjoyed successful theater runs in Estonia. He has lectured film history and directing at the University of Tallinn and Tallinn Art Academy. He has curated and created visuals for several museum expositions.

Director’s statement
“Our film is based on the conviction that Christmas doesn’t necessarily have to be a naive fairy tale. I believe that a Christmas movie for children should offer them a piece of adventure, bravery, sadness, danger, and a happy ending. I believe that all (or at least most) children adore exotic adventures and are thrilled to see kids like them doing something that the viewer can only fantasize about. The main characters in our film go on a trip that seems to be full of fears and their road brings them to weird and dangerous places. But, for me, the adventurous jungle trip is as important as the motivation and outcome of our characters - saving their family harmony. Without making it cheesy for the grown-up audience.
Our script is based on real travelogues and blogs, interviews and conversations with people who know the jungles, tribes and conditions in Indonesia and Papua. Most of our info comes from the Borneo/Kalimantan island travelogue of my friend, cultural anthropologist and Estonian filmmaker Terje Toomistu. She speaks Indonesian (bahasa Indonesia) and loves the local culture. I believe that detailed knowledge of local life enriches and makes our story full of fantasy and believability.
For a young viewer, it’s important that the film be a carrying path to a world of morally and ecologically sustainable values. The question is the tone one uses. I’ve wanted to make a film about kids (and with kids) for a long time. I like kids’ playfulness. Both in their activities and group dynamics. I believe that this is the way to keep a children’s film genuine and alive. I think my documentary background gives me the courage to direct scenes in the way dictated by the scene and situation.
I wanted the general tone of my film to be bright. The strange land where the children end up will overwhelm them with its bright colors and visual details. The shots in the jungle are juxtaposed by the sunny rainforest and bare and bleak vastness of the goldmine.”