Special screening of the Viru Film Foundation: “Happiness is to live in the country”

Dear Film Lover!

You are warmly invited to a screening of the 2025 documentary "Happiness Is Living in Our Land".

In the Soviet Union, people are awaiting the arrival of the 1980s, when, according to the country's great leaders, a Communist paradise is supposed to become a reality. However, the truth is far from this promise: poverty, shortages, ideological control and the relentless production of missiles dominate everyday life, as the threat of nuclear war continues to grow.

In the midst of the darkest years of Soviet stagnation, in late October 1982, Ivo “Munk” Uukkivi, Allan Vainola, Peep Männil and Villu Tamme gather in a rehearsal room above the garage of a private house in Pääsküla, Tallinn, and lay the foundations for the punk band Velikije Luki.

The band members experience the harsh repression of the Soviet authorities firsthand – arrests, beatings, forced psychiatric treatment, concert bans and more. Yet they stubbornly continue on their path, fuelled by the courage that alcohol provides. Through a series of unexpected coincidences, their journey ultimately leads to the collapse of the entire Soviet Union.

Special guest: Taavi Aavik, the film's editor and sound director.

Running time: 1h 26m

The film is in Estonian with English subtitles.

Registration is open while tickets last!

The special screening is organised by Viru Film Fund in cooperation with the Integration Foundation and is therefore FREE OF CHARGE for participants!

However, when registering, please make sure to answer the additional questions provided for each participant separately.

To redeem your ticket, please show your Fienta ticket QR code at the venue.

Supported by the Swiss contribution to reducing economic and social disparities in the EU