Tusty's "The Singing Revolution"

TALLINN — American director James Tusty, creator of the most high-profile English-language documentary on Estonia “The Singing Revolution” is back in Tallinn to secure funding to make another film about Estonian song festivals in the light of the first film’s success.

“The Singing Revolution” screened in 125 cinemas in North America but ultimately was a loss-maker with its €1.5 million budget, most of which came from the Estonian government. Regardless, Tusty and his wife Maureen, who assisted with the first film, are moving ahead with a new documentary on Estonian history called “Resistance Songs.”

Tusty and his wife arrived to Tallinn to get funding for “Resistance Songs,” which will have a slightly smaller budget. The project has currently secured 1.9 million krooni (€121,431), but it would take 7 to 8 million krooni (€448,000-€510,000) to make the film. The couple turned to the ministries of education, culture and even to the foreign ministry to get funding as well as Enterprise Estonia and Tallinn2011 foundation.

Tusty told the Estonian Public Broadcasting news program that by coincidence 2011 is the 20th anniversary of the fall of Soviet Union and Tallinn is the European Capital of Culture in 2011.

“I believe it’s a perfect form of opportunity for promotion,” Tusty said.

Tusty is a first-generation Estonian-American whose father moved to the U.S. in 1924.