Ekstremely Kreative Attitudes

EKA, the Estonian Academy of Arts.

The Department of Animation at the Estonian Academy of Arts

The Department of Animation at the Estonian Academy of Arts offers a two-year MA in Animation, taught in English. The programme aims is to contribute to the global development of animation as an art form, helping students develop as animation filmmakers with a strong, individual approach to filmmaking.

The department is led by Ülo Pikkov, a major figure in Estonian animation, alongside Lilli-Krõõt Repnau, who has a background in fine art and printmaking. Under their direction, the emphasis is on helping students develop their own distinct style, voice, and process – approaching animation as an artistic practice in its own right, rather than simply as a filmmaking medium. Auteurship, individual perspective, and experimentation with technique are among the values the department fosters today.

One of the department’s most prominent graduates working internationally is Sander Joon, whose student film Velodrool (2015) won the Grand Prix at Fredrikstad Animation Festival and Best of the Festival in Melbourne. His post-graduation short Sierra went on to generate serious Oscar buzz on the festival circuit. Joon has spoken about what set his EKA training apart: unlike many animation schools that lead with technical training, EKA puts writing first — the technical side comes later, through the process of making the film, but the story has to carry it.

Other internationally active alumni include Lucija Mrzljak (Croatia), Kristjan Holm (Estonia), Michael Frei (Switzerland, whose Not About Us picked up three awards during an Erasmus exchange at EKA), and Nata Metlukh (Ukraine/US), now based in San Francisco, whose graduation film Pura Vida was nominated for a European Animation Award.