Three BFM Short Films Receive the EMA Green Seal for the First Time
Three short fiction films produced by students at the Baltic Film, Media and Arts School (BFM) of Tallinn University have become the first productions from Estonia to receive the Environmental Media Association (EMA) Green Seal for Students. The internationally recognized certification acknowledges that the films were produced in accordance with sustainable filmmaking practices, meeting established environmental standards throughout the production process.
“Green production skills are about much more than reducing environmental impact. They teach students how to plan effectively, make informed decisions, and manage productions in a more holistic way,” said Anneli Ahven, Associate Professor of Film Production at BFM. “The EMA Green Seal demonstrates that our students are already capable of working according to international sustainability standards during their studies and are well prepared to contribute to a more sustainable film industry.”
According to Riho Västrik, Acting Director of BFM, the recognition from the U.S.-based non-profit Environmental Media Association marks an important milestone for both BFM and the Estonian film sector. “To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that student films from Estonia have received an international sustainability certification of this kind,” said Västrik.
He added that the recognition expands graduates' career opportunities as sustainability coordinators on film and audiovisual productions, both in Estonia and internationally. “Having the Green Seal in a film's end credits is a strong marketing asset, while also demonstrating that the production's environmental footprint has been kept to a responsible level,” he said.
BFM is also a member of the Green Film School Alliance. In recent years, the school has systematically integrated sustainable filmmaking into its curriculum. As part of this effort, production students from the Film Arts programme completed a dedicated green production course focused on sustainability coordination in film production, ecocritical thinking, sustainability communications, and the implementation of the PEACHy (Production Environmental Actions Checklist for Young Filmmakers) guidelines in student productions.
The PEACHy guidelines encourage young filmmakers to adopt environmentally responsible production practices throughout every stage of the filmmaking process. The same framework underpins the EMA Green Seal for Students programme: student productions that score at least 50 out of 100 points in the sustainability assessment qualify for certification.
The three BFM short fiction films receiving the EMA Green Seal for Students, all of which will premiere in September, are:
- “Boiler Room” (“Katlaruum”) – Director Romet Põhako, Producer Mirt Mägi
- “The Ear” (“Kõrv”) – Director Kreeta-Lisett Tooming, Producer Erik Jakobson
- “With an Iron Fist” (“Raudse rusikaga”) – Director Steven-Kristjan Tšoba, Producer Eliise-Marie Soll
“Boiler Room” (“Katlaruum”), photo by Sven-Sander Paas
“The Ear” (“Kõrv”), photo by Aleksei Urussov
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“With an Iron Fist” (“Raudse rusikaga”), photo by Linda-Maria Saar
