For five decades Estonian-Canadian Maestro Roman Toi composed and conducted choral works and toured a Singing Revolution worldwide to restore freedom and democracy to the Republic of Estonia. The film follows Roman Toi’s life through music and historical events starting from the Russian era in early 1900’s, through Estonian Independence, World War II and then refugee years in Germany featuring incredible historical footage and recordings. Filmmaker Kalli Paakspuu adapts the story from Roman Toi’s 2007 autobiography”Most beautiful songs I dedicate to you” with broadcast recordings of Roman Toi’s music performed by eminent Estonian musicians to the socially engaged photography of Karl Hintser who follows the Estonian musicians’ escape to Danzig and to Germany’s DP camps. American Julien Bryan’s photography of daily life in Poland, Soviet Union, and Nazi Germany between 1935 and 1939 featuresthe spirited Nazi assault on modern art at the popular and infamous Entartete Kunst [Degenerate Art] exhibition in Munich in1937.exhibiting eminent 20th Century modern works. VeljoTormis’s “Curse upon Iron”is sung byGrammy winning Estonian Philharmonica Chamber Choir conducted by Tõnu Kaljuste.
Director Biography – Kalli Paakspuu
Born in Vancouver, after earning her degree in English from UBC and and a course in advanced filmmaking Kalli Paakspuu made her first dramatic short fim, “October Alms” in 1978 which was awarded a Bronze Award at the International Film Festival of New York. A filmmaker, writer, educator and artist Kalli Paakspuu was awarded a doctorate from the University of Toronto for her research on early indigenous use of photography in international relations.
She produced and directed the documentary, “When East Meets East”, featured at Hot Docs, IDFA and other film festivals. A co-founder of Womenfilm/Womenart Inc, she is a co-creator with Daria Stermac of the Genie Award-winning, “I Need a Man Like You to Make My Dreams Come True”, featured at film festivals, Chicago International, Montreal New Media, Melbourne, BFI, Tokyo, Yorkton and Creteil. An alumna of the Canadian Film Centre’s Interactive Art and Entertainment programme, she created “World Without Water”, a new media interactive installation exhibited at CODE Live, Cultural Olympiad, Vancouver, 2010 and featured at the Lennox Contemporary Gallery in the Nuit Blanche Festival. Kalli has published widely on film and media and has taught in the animation and design programme at Sheridan College in Oakville, Canada. She was the programme director of EstDocs Film Festival and is a programmer of Female Eye Film Festival. Her biography music documentary, “Maestro Roman Toi Beautiful songs I dedicate to you” will be released in 2023.
| Kalli Paakspuu Director, Producer, Writer “Passage” short (1978) “October Alms” short (1978) “Maypole Carving” short (1981) “I Need a Man Like You To Make My Dream Come True”short (1984) “Goodbye Two Day Weekend” short (1987) “When East Meets East” 56 minute short )(1997) “Two For One feature (2014) Roman Toi: a century and more short (2016) “Awakening as Told By Roman Toi” short (2018) “Going to Beyond short (2018) Kui Tume (What Darkness short (2019) Alan C. Peterson, Roger Teppo Key Cast “Roman Toi” |
