Festivals:
Her strength, her choices, her fight – witness the revival of an Estonian cinema classic.
Aimée Beekman’s cult novel “Option to Choose” (1978) becomes “Regina”, whose titular heroine is an intriguing contradiction: a poised blend of femme fatale and warm mother figure. When a long relationship collapses and she inherits a small-town house, Regina takes charge and sets about building a family – on her own terms. Her cool, pragmatic method – a kind of low-tech biohack – ruffled feathers both in the late-Soviet stagnation years and during the Singing Revolution, exposing the period’s stubborn patriarchal undercurrents. Politics may have shifted, but Regina’s story still lands, 35 years on.
For Kaljo Kiisk – marking his centenary this year – “Regina” was the penultimate film of a long and productive directing career.
The 35mm film elements are preserved by the Film Archive of the National Archives of Estonia and were scanned in 6K in 2025. Commissioned by the Estonian Film Institute, the film was digitally restored by Ratus OÜ.
Eva Näripea
