Doctoral thesis: Films shape the way we remember World War II and Soviet repression
Films are often watched for entertainment, but beyond providing a pastime, they also play an important role in shaping people’s memories. Moreover, films also shape how society in general remembers its history. Hanna Maria Aunin’s research reveals that post-Soviet Estonian films tend to gloss over certain difficult historical topics.
Hanna Maria Aunin, a recent PhD graduate from Tallinn University’s School of Humanities, studied post-Soviet Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian films from the late 1980s to the present day in her doctoral thesis, examining how World War II and the Soviet past are depicted in these films, and what conclusions can be drawn from this about the cultures of remembrance in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
The research reveals that stories of victimhood and resistance dominate Baltic films, while more complex topics, such as the Holocaust and collaboration with the Nazi occupying forces, are addressed considerably less frequently.
Stories of victimhood and resistance dominate
The research highlights that narratives of victimhood and resistance – particularly films dealing with deportation and Estonian partisans – are widespread in Baltic cinemas. Violence is often portrayed in these films as an external force, with the focus on so-called innocent victims – that is, women and children. The analysis also demonstrates how the memory of the deportation and its portrayal have changed over time.
Early films, such as Awakening (1989, Jüri Sillart), address the historical complexities associated with the mass deportations. They focus on local collaborators and new settlers, and the events are depicted from the perspective of the people responsible for deportation.
In contrast, 21st-century films such as In the Crosswind (2014, Martti Helde) and The Chronicles of Melanie (2016, Viesturs Kairišs), focus on the victims’ experience and individual trauma. The films draw a connection between the Holocaust and the Soviet mass deportations to convey the gravity of the deportation memory to an international audience and to highlight its significance in the Baltic states. From an ethical standpoint, however, such comparisons are questionable and highlight the challenges involved in translating national memories to a broader world.
The complexities of history that are avoided
There are also significant differences between the Baltic cinemas: while Lithuanian and Latvian filmmakers have produced numerous documentaries and some feature films focusing on the Holocaust and local collaboration with the German occupying forces, Estonia has no full-length feature films addressing these topics at all.
The analysis suggests that many films reinforce dominant narratives of memory, while avoiding engagement with the complexities of history.
Films play an important role in remembering history
In the study of cultural memory, film has taken somewhat of a back seat to biographies, literature, art and monuments. Hanna Maria Aunin’s research fills this gap by placing Baltic films within the context of both local and international memory culture. Her thesis shows that films play an important role in diversifying narratives of memory and introducing the history of the Baltic states to an international audience. It is important to recognise that films do not merely reflect the past, but actively help shape what is remembered and how.
Thesis defence
Hanna Maria Aunin defended her doctoral thesis at Tallinn University’s School of Humanities on 11 June 2026. Her doctoral thesis is entitled Post-Soviet Baltic Films on World War II and the Soviet Past: Seeking Recognition and Challenging Historical Lacunae.
The supervisors are Eneken Laanes, a Professor at Tallinn University, and Teet Teinemaa, an Associate Professor at Tallinn University.
The opponents are Violeta Davoliūtė, a professor at Vilnius University, and Veronika Pehe, a researcher at the Institute of Contemporary History of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
The doctoral thesis can be read in the ETERA digital environment of the Tallinn University Academic Library.
