Gallery: Filming of Estonian-Latvian-Polish co-produced feature film Serafima has wrapped

The gripping drama Serafima by acclaimed director Veiko Õunpuu tells a story of moral choices and survival under authoritarianism in Soviet Estonia in the 1960s. It is a tale of love poisoned by fear, violence, and emotional trauma. The leading roles in the film – based on award winning writer Vahur Afanasjev’s novel Serafima and Bogdan – are played by Estonian actor Priit Võigemast and Georgian actress Tinatin Dalakishvili who is known to the wider public from the Netflix film Extraction 2.

Producer Andreas Kask explained that the Serafima shoot took place in Latvia and lasted 33 days: “On set, you could hear no fewer than five different languages, as the film is a co-production between Estonia, Latvia, and Poland, while the story itself is told in Estonian and Russian,” Kask noted. 

According to him, the film clearly carries Veiko Õunpuu’s signature style. “It is both an interpretation of Afanasjev’s novel and a creative dialogue between two authors,” he added. 

The feature film Serafima explores humanity amid violence. Serafima must decide whether to stay true to her heart or adapt to an alien power and repression in order to survive. Although the story takes place in Estonia in the 1960s, similar events, unfortunately, continue to occur in the modern world. Systems create victims whose suffering shapes the destinies of communities – and even entire nations. 

The film opens with a crime that shocks society. Seemingly harmless Serafima – portrayed by Georgian actress Tinatin Dalakishvili, known from Netflix’s Extraction 2 – stabs her husband, a KGB officer played by Tambet Tuisk. 

Serafima is committed to a psychiatric institution, where those in power demand that she be silenced forever. The story is told through the eyes of Dr. Vasar (Priit Võigemast), who understands that Serafima is a victim of a system that is inhumane, violent, and built on inciting hostility. Difficult choices lie ahead: fight for justice or give up. 

The film, set to premiere in 2027, also features many beloved Estonian actors, including Elmo Nüganen, Rain Simmul, Peeter Volkonski, Taavi Teplenkov, Katariina Tamm, Katariina Unt, Julia Aug and Liina Tennosaar. Serafima’s brother Bogdan is played by Polish actor Bartosz Bielenia, awarded Best Young European Actor in 2020 and the same year honoured with the European Film Academy’s Best Actor award.

The film’s director is Veiko Õunpuu (Autumn Ball, The Temptation of St. Tony, The Last Ones). The screenplay is written by Veiko Õunpuu and Martin Algus (The Traitor, Life and Love, Kalev). The cinematographer of Serafima is Mart Taniel (Autumn Ball, 1944, November). The film is produced by Nafta Films, whose portfolio includes the Apothecary Melchiortrilogy, the spy thriller O2, and the upcoming spring release Real. 

Co-producers are Nafta Films Latvia, Polish company Orka Films, and Apollo Film Productions. Producers of Serafimaare Andreas Kask and Esko Rips. Co-producers are Alicja Gancarz (Orka Films), Gunda Bergmane (Nafta Films Latvia), as well as Tanel Tatter and Veiko Esken from Apollo Film Productions.

The film’s production budget is €2.2 million. The film is financed by the Estonian Film Institute, the Estonian Cultural Endowment (Eesti Kultuurkapital), Creative Europe Media, Estonian Public Broadcasting, Apollo Film Productions, the Polish Film Institute, the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, Riga Film Fund and Postimees. Distribution is handled by Hea Film.