Main Competition for the Grand Prix Bank Millennium Award juror
Anna Hints is an Estonian film director with a background in contemporary art, experimental folk music and environmental activism. Anna’s short documentary "For Tomorrow Paradise Arrives" (2021) initiated public discussion and growth of new grass-root movements against food waste in Estonia. The film and activism around it brought Anna and the film and the Foodsharing Estonia community the title of The Inspirer Of The Year 2021 given by the Network of Estonian Nonprofit Organizations.Anna’s debut feature documentary Smoke Sauna Sisterhood won the Directing Award at Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Documentary Competition program in January 2023. It also brought Anna the prestigious Audentia Award that is given once a year to a female director by Eurimages. Smoke Sauna Sisterhood was the Estonian National Entry at 96th Academy Awards and won the European Film Award in Best Documentary. It has so far (March 2024) won 27 awards and jury Special Mentions and sold to 33 territories worldwide. Smoke Sauna Sisterhood is a nominee of LUX European Audience Film Award, Critics Choice Documentary Award in Best First Feature Documentary, of Cinema Eye Honors in 4 categories, of PGA Award for Outstanding Producing of Documentary Motion Picture and winner of Best Cinematography at IDA Awards and at Cinema Eye Honors.
The film is nominated for 6 Icelandic Film Awards (Edda Awards) including best director and best film and has won so far 9 awards in Estonia. The film continues to tour festivals around the world. Anna is a member of electronic-folk trio EETER that scored the feature documentary Wind Sculpted Land (nomination in the Best Film Music category at the Estonian Film and TV Awards 2018). EETER also collaborated with Icelandic composer Eðvarð Egilsson in Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, who was given the Harpa Award for Smoke Sauna Sisterhood.
