A short film “Cement” by Estonian Director Eva Otsing is part of this year’s Top Short Films Competition and the 40th anniversary of the St Kilda Film Festival.
The screening of “Cement” is scheduled for 10 June at 1pm. Eva is also part of a panel discussion “The Art of The Camera” on 8 June at 3.50pm.
We had a chat to Eva about her film and this is what she said.
What is this short film about?
Cement is a collaboration between filmmaker Eva Otsing and choreographer Marni Green. The experimental short film investigates the desensitisation we experience from living in urban spaces. The layering and scaling of the digital and built environments with the human body offer an immersive experience for the viewer, encouraging the viewer to embody their surroundings and to not see nature as something separate from the human form.
Eva, where did the idea to make this film come from?
“The idea came as a result of an ongoing collaboration with Marni Green, a dancer and choreographer. We both really liked this track by a Greek electronic artist Lena Platonos and talked about making a work inspired by it. Marni then worked on the choreography, and I chose the aesthetic look for the film based on some spaces that I’ve been to, mostly urban spaces with a lot of cement and screens. I also contacted a local electronic musician whose work I’ve been following YL Hooi, a talented sound composer Thom Pringle, and sound designer Weronika Raźna to see if they’d be interested in collaborating. I knew that the sound element for this film had to combine organic and electronic elements to talk to the themes in the film. When we screened an early version of the work at ACMI, a lot of people thought it was a music video. The film actually had its world premiere in Athens which was a really cool moment since the project started with a track by an artist who lived there and was a key figure in the electronic music scene in the 80s. We are really excited to show it in St Kilda this month.”
Where was “Cement” filmed?
“Cement” was inspired by Eva’s personal background growing up in the suburb of Väike-Õismäe, Tallinn, Estonia. It was filmed in the Sydney Opera House, Genesis Melbourne and piano bar in Brunswick Tempo Rubato.
Why is it important that the world knows about this film and this topic?
“Urbanisation is an important issue to me, I spent half of my childhood in a post-soviet cement jungle, and half of it in a forest. Learning from Dr Kristel Alla that now over 90 percent of the population in Australia lives in urban areas made me feel sad. The connection we have to nature is the connection we have with ourselves since we are part of nature. I think Marni really displays the essence of that through her choreography, the way she moves in these energy consuming cement and screen spaces as a dancer. It really encourages us to not see nature as something separate from the human form. These structures shield us, but also keep us from a certain aliveness we can embody, something we can’t do digitally.”
Who is Eva Otsing?
Eva is an Estonian born filmmaker and photographer who has lived in Melbourne since 2014. She is known in Australia and internationally for her documentaries that explore the intersection of music, art and filmmaking. Eva’s journey in filmmaking has been inspired by music, and she has collaborated with various artists in her projects. One of her other documentaries “Confluence” (2021) was part of the Matsalu Nature Film Festival in 2022.



Photos by (from left to right): Molly Minka, Alexis Desaulniers Lea and Tom Noble (from Eva’s personal collection).
Eva is also a photographer whose work has been shortlisted for the Martin Kantor Portrait Prize as part of the Ballarat International Foto Biennale 2023. Her photographs have also been published in The Saturday Paper, The Monthly and The Guardian.
Eva has a degree in film studies from the London Metropolitan University and a diploma in digital filmmaking from the Baltic Film and Media School.
Eva, what did you learn about yourself or the world around you when making this film?
“Sometimes you work with people because you admire their craft, and it’s fine if there’s no final goal for the work, the collaboration is enough of a goal. Sometimes the connections between themes appear later in the process.”
What is special about the St Kilda Film Festival?
St Kilda Film Festival is the oldest short film festival in Australia. It’s known for providing a snapshot of what’s happening in the Australian short film sector and for launching the careers of up-and-coming filmmakers.
Where can we read more and buy tickets?
10 June 2024 at 1.00pm – “Cement” screening
Location: Alex Theatre, 1/135 Fitzroy St, St Kilda VIC 3182.
Information and tickets: https://www.stkildafilmfestival.com.au/all-films/cement
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8 June 2024 at 3.50pm – Panel discussion “The Art of The Camera”
Location: The Backlot Studios, 165 Bank St, South Melbourne VIC 3205.
Information and tickets: https://www.stkildafilmfestival.com.au/filmmaker-development-day/the-art-of-the-camera
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Read more about Eva Otsing here: https://www.eostudio.com.au/