“Writer-director Meel Paliale is only 27, but he is offering audiences Rolling Papers (Pikad Paberid), his feature that is Estonia’s submission for the 2026 best international feature Oscar race. The story, created by Paliale with Urmet Piiling, follows young store clerk Sebastian, who finds his ordinary life shaken up when he meets the free-spirited Silo.”, — write: www.hollywoodreporter.com
The story, created by Paliale with Urmet Piiling, follows young store clerk Sebastian, who finds his ordinary life shaken up when he meets the free-spirited Silo. Together, they start smoking weed and dreaming of a one-way trip to escape the monotony of their lives to sunny Brazil.
The cast features Mihkel Kuusk, Karl Birnbaum, Maria Helena Seppik, Edgar Vunš, and Juhan Soon. The cinematography was handled by Markus Mikk. The movie was produced by Rain Rannu and Tõnu Hiielaid of Tallifornia. Baltic Crime is handling international sales.
Rolling Papers premiered in the Just Film lineup of the 2024 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF), where it won the audience awards in the International Youth Competition. It later won the Film of the Year honor from the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.
THR caught up with Paliale to talk about Rolling Papershow he started making films early, and what’s next for him.
If you are curious about the original Estonian title of the movie, and your Estonian is non-existent, just like this writer’s, the filmmaker explains what it means. “In Estonian, it’s actually ‘long papers.’ It’s these longer rolling papers that are meant for rolling joints,” he said. “It sounded weird in English. So we went with Rolling Papers.”
‘Rolling Papers’
Where did the idea for the movie come from? Yep, personal experience. “It was really inspired by my life in Estonia,” the filmmaker says. “It was based on the experiences of my friends and myself and most of the characters have real-life prototypes.”
Despite the setting in the Estonian capital Tallinn, there is a universal feel to the film. “All of the characters are searching for purpose and finding out what it means to be an adult and have responsibilities and how to still go for your dreams,” Paliale highlights.
If Rolling Papers feels like you are following Sebastian and friends as they hang out, smoke, and discuss music, that is by design. “The aim was to create something that’s authentic and real that people could really relate to,” explains the director.
Audiences will notice a little quick editing, which at times made the shoot challenging for the cast and crew. “Most of the scenes are shot in one take, and we have a lot of long takes,” he tells THR. “The more dramatic scenes were hard, because we had to nail them in one shot.”
Such as a scene set in a Burger King, where Sebastian and his girlfriend try to patch up their relationship. “It’s this six-minute long take that was particularly stressful and hard because we only had an hour to shoot there,” recalls the director. “So, I was really stressed out because it was such an important scene. But it came out great.”
Paliale is a true multihyphenate. After all, he wrote the film, directed it, but also handled the editing and the scoring. It may seem like a lot, but it sounds like no big deal for him. “I’ve always done all these things myself,” he tells THR. “I never went to film school because I didn’t get in. But I have been making movies since I was a little kid. And I had to do everything myself, and it has stayed this way. I really enjoy writing my own movies, directing and editing and it so happens that I’ve made music for my films as well – because then you don’t have to worry about copyright.”
‘Rolling Papers’ director Meel Paliale
The creative sees certain shared themes across his works, but likes to take different approaches to different films. His 2021 film Tree of Eternal Lovefor example, has this plot synopsis: “Frustrated with his life, a self-centered car mechanic and his filmmaker friend embark on a crazy, criminal and perhaps even melodic journey of self-discovery to the other side of the country to cut down the Tree of Eternal Love.”
Paliale offers: “I guess in all of my movies I’ve done so far there are existential problems that the characters are faced with. And there is the search for purpose and meaning in life as a theme. But otherwise, they are quite different in the way they are made and the way they look.”
What’s it like to get your film submitted for the international Oscar race? “It’s kind of surreal, but I’m really honored to represent Estonia at the Academy Awards,” Paliale shares. “And it’s my first time visiting Los Angeles.”
The young creative isn’t expecting to take a big break any time soon. “I’m already working on the next projects,” he says THR. He actually couldn’t wait to get back from LA to Estonia to continue working on them.
“But there is not much I can say about them yet,” Paliale says. “I still haven’t figured out how to pitch it yet. But yeah, the next film is in the works, and hopefully we can start shooting next summer.”
‘Rolling Papers’
The journey of Rolling Papers started at the Tallinn film festival last year and has brought it to the stage of international feature Oscar consideration. On Wednesday, Paliale’s attention will be back on the Tallinn festival though. His girlfriend Jasmin Kulagina premieres her short film Plans for Tomorrow in the fest’s Shorts National Competition 2 program. “Maria and Lola attend a birthday party,” reads its synopsis. “The arrival of Martin throws their evening off course.”
Check out more international Oscar contenders here:
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Why Lithuanian Oscar Contender ‘The Southern Chronicles’ Looks Like a Film From the 1990s
Croatia’s Oscar Contender ‘Fiume o morte!’ Dives Into History for a Timely Study of Populist Autocracy