Elmo Nüganen (born on date 15 February 1962 in Jõhvi) is an Estonian theatre director, film director, and actor. He has been the artistic Director of the Tallinn City Theatre since 1992. [1]

Elmo Nüganen
Nüganen in 2020
Born (1962-02-15) February 15, 1962 (age 62)
Occupations
Years active1990 – present
Notable workNames in Marble
1944
SpouseAnne Reemann
Children3
AwardsEstonian Annual Theatre Award for Best Director (1992, 1995, 2000, 2007, 2010)
Estonian National Cultural Award (1996, 1999, 2009)

He was a graduate of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in 1988 and then a professor at the academy from 1998–2002 and 2008–2012. He directed the war films Names in Marble from 2002 and 1944 from 2015.[2] Names in Marble was seen by more than 168,000 people in Estonia[3] and was selected for the 2003 Taormina Film Fest,[4] while 1944 had the highest opening-week audience numbers in Estonian film history and became the country's submission for the Academy Awards.[5]

Nüganen has received multiple awards for his work in theatre, including the Estonian Annual Theatre Award for Best Director in 1992, 1995, 2000, 2007, and 2010, and the Estonian National Cultural Award in 1996, 1999, and 2009.[2]

Personal life

edit

Nüganen is of Ingrian Finnish descent.[6] He is married to actress Anne Reemann. They have three daughters, Saara, Maria-Netti, and Sonja.

Filmography

edit
Director
Year Title (Estonian) Title (English)
2002 Nimed marmortahvlil Names in Marble
2006 Meeletu Mindless
2015 1944
2022 Apteeker Melchior Melchior the Apothecary
Apteeker Melchior. Viirastus Melchior the Apothecary: The Ghost
Apteeker Melchior. Timuka tütar Melchior the Apothecary: The Executioner's Daughter
Actor
Year Title (Estonian) Title (English) Role
1990 Ainus pühapäev The Only Sunday Aleks
Ainult hulludele ehk halastajaõde Only For the Insane, or Sister of Mercy Rhine Militia
1992 Mälestus sinistes kildudes. Bernard Kangro A Memory in Blue Fragments. Bernard Kangro Joonatan
1993 Suflöör The Prompter Robert
Marraskuun harmaa valo The Grey Light of November
1994 Armastus kolme apelsini vastu Love for Three Oranges
1997 Kapsapea 2 ehk Tagasi Euroopasse Cabbage Head 2, or Back to Europe Voice
2002 Nimed marmortahvlil Names in Marble Armed Train Commander
2012 Seenelkäik Mushrooming Gas Station Salesman
Puhastus Purge Father
Deemonid Demons Stranger
2013 Mandariinid Tangerines Margus
2017 Lotte lood Lotte's Stories Lotte's Grandfather
2018 Portugal The Boss
2020 O2 Major Kurg
  1. ^ O'Connor, Kevin (2006). Culture and Customs of the Baltic States. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 195. ISBN 9780313331251. OCLC 62281692.
  2. ^ a b "Elmo Nüganen". Estonian Theatre Agency. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  3. ^ Kristensen, Lars (28 February 2013). Postcommunist Film - Russia, Eastern Europe and World Culture: Moving Images of Postcommunism. Routledge. p. 95. ISBN 9781136475559.
  4. ^ LeVasseur, Andrea. "Synopsis of the film Nimed Marmortahvlil". allmovie.com. Archived from the original on 15 August 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  5. ^ Boyce, Laurence (15 September 2015). "1944 to be the Estonian submission for the 2016 Academy Awards". Cineuropa. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  6. ^ Sibrits, Heili (15 February 2012). "Stiilimeister Elmo Nüganen 50". Postimees (in Estonian). Retrieved 9 February 2024.
edit