I’ve been part of Estonian film ‘industry’ for over ten years and I don’t agree with some of the points made here. “Making films that people actually want to see is not high on its list of priorities” – is a presumption. The problem with the quality of films is that there is very little competition. Almost anyone can get produced despite how weak their script is which is why there are so many bad films around. The problem lies with the filmmakers who don’t have to make an effort to produce anything of quality because there’s a guaranteed fund that has to go somewhere and is divided between projects that are all weak. Brilliant films have never been left without funding. There just aren’t any. The record number of projects submitted for feature film funding is 16 (sixteen!) which doesn’t even begin to compare with, say, the thousands in the UK. Not much to compete with, is there?
As someone who assess screenplays for the funding body, I can say that no, you don’t have to be an established filmmaker or have connections. It’s the quality of the project that speaks. And if you need a producer for your scripts, finding one is not hard at all – everyone is looking for a good script!

But in order to get something produced you need to get something written! There are a lot of experts and critics around, always have been, but still, no good scripts. So, good luck, Elver! We’ll be looking forward to your input!