MELCHIOR THE APOTHECARY
Virtual Screening: November 10-19
MELCHIOR THE APOTHECARY: (Apteeker Melchior)
Elmo Nüganen, Estonia/Germany/Latvia/Lithuania, 2022
90 minutes, In Estonian with English subtitles
North American Premiere
In medieval Tallinn, a famous knight of the Order who freed the Baltic Sea from pirates is found murdered. The hero's head has been chopped off and his mouth stuffed with coins. As if that weren’t enough, a gold chain he bought the same day has gone missing. To solve this gruesome murder, the city’s sheriff approaches Melchior Wakenstede (Märten Metsaviir), a local pharmacist, or apothecary, who has a reputation of being able to speak with the dead. Slowly unraveling the case, the young man discovers that the murdered knight was looking for a mysterious "Prisoner of Tallinn" and the clues lead to the Dominican monastery.
As Melchior gets deeper involved with the mystery, a terrible series of crimes is unleashed and anyone who comes into contact with this secret is in danger. At the same time, the apothecary starts having doubts about his apprentice, who seems to be hiding something. The film is based on a best-selling novel Apothecary Melchior and the Mystery of St Olaf's Church. Screenwriters Indrek Hargla, Elmo Nüganen, and Olle Mirme used the characters and events from the book and added completely new and exciting twists and turns specially for the film. The result is a colorful, engaging journey that is equal parts exciting and tense.
Festival History
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2022
Cottbus Festival of East European Cinema 2022
Palm Springs International Film Festival 2023
FantasPorto Festival 2023
Screamfest 2023
Bright Nights Nordic and Baltic Film Festival in Ottawa 2023
Director bios:
Director Elmo Nüganen is an Estonian film and theater director and actor. From 1992–2021, he was the artistic director of Tallinn City Theatre. His debut as a film director and screenwriter was Names in Marble (2002), which held the top position in terms of admissions for Estonian films until 2016. Nüganen’s filmography also includes Mindless (2006) and 1944 (2015). The latter became the country’s submission for the Academy Awards in 2015. With the Melchior the Apothecary trilogy, Nüganen continues his theme of historic films, based on best-selling and internationally acclaimed novels written by Indrek Hargla. The films are a co-production between Estonia, Germany, Latvia and Lithuania.