Estonian film to be screened at Cannes

But judge bans it from hometown screens

The first Estonian film ever to be selected for screening at Cannes will not be shown in Estonia, due to an Estonian judge’s order. The plaintiff in the suit claims the film is modeled on her life and that the film would bring undue discomfort and attention to her personal life.

The film, “Magnus,” is the first by Estonian writer Kadri Kõusaar, who both wrote and directed the film. Kõusaar’s attorney argues that the film is not modeled after any single person’s life, rather it is an amalgamation of the lives of several. But if it’s scrutiny she’s trying to avoid—as Kõusaar’s lawyer has already pointed out—a highly public lawsuit is certainly not the way to go about it. In Estonia, where the number of computers per capita seems to rival that of TVs per capita in the USA, the film will surely be seen by many who would never have bothered before.