The Estonian Culture Film was a state-subsidized movie studio established in Estonia

Estonia

Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

 in 1931 by the Ministry of Culture. During the first years of existence the studio mostly distributed films.

The foundation for the professional Estonian film industry was created by training filmmakers in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 from where also the professional production equipment for the studio was purchased. The studio's sound equipment from the 1930s is preserved in the Estonian Film Archives and is still in good working order even today.

In 1936 Culture Film was transferred under the authority of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, at the same time the Estonian Film Archives were established. Thanks to the state archive many of the movies produced by the Culture Film from 1936 to 1940 have survived even though during World War II

Estonia in World War II

The ground for the fate of Estonia in World War II was laid by the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact, particularly its Secret Additional Protocol of August 1939....

 many film negatives were destroyed.

The Estonian Culture Film was mostly producing popular-scientific documentaries that recorded every day life in Estonia. The titles of movies included Aviation show in Tallinn 28.08.1938, International Sailing Yacht Race in Tallinn 10.-12. July 1938, Views of Beautiful Viljandimaa, Tallinn Before and Now, Pictures of Saku, etc.

Some of the major filmmakers working for the Estonian Culture Film was Konstantin Märska

Konstantin Märska

Konstantin Märska was an Estonian cinematographer.Märska is buried at the Rahumäe cemetery in Tallinn.-External links:...

. and Theodor Luts

Theodor Luts

Theodor Luts an Estonian film director and cinematographer, brother of an Estonian classic writer Oskar Luts, was the first major figure of Estonian cinematography...

.