On June 26, James and Maureen Tusty's remarkable and moving film about Estonia's peaceful bid for independence, The Singing Revolution, made its Washington debut. The Singing Revolution is the most popular documentary film in Estonian history, and received a fifteen minute standing ovation when it premiered at the Black Nights Film Festival in Tallinn last December. But as wonderful as that is, the Tustys made the film for audiences that don't already know the story of Estonia's nonviolent revolution--and the film's debut in North America, with the support of MPI, marks a crucial moment in its fulfillment of its destiny.
The U.S.-Baltic Foundation, which co-sponsored the event with MPI, has the details:
Over 75 guests – including Congressional staff, other government officials and representatives of universities and NGO’s – attended the program which was co-sponsored by Congressman John Shimkus (R-IL) and Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL). USBF board members participating included Ambassador Ints Silins, Dom Repici, Maria Ogrydziak (Chair of USBF’s 2008 Gala) and Linas Kojelis (Acting Executive Director). Also participating were filmmakers Maureen Castle and Jim Tusty, producers of the documentary film (www.singingrevolution.com).
James Tusty has eloquently expressed the purpose of the film:
This is an amazing, yet little-known story. Many North Americans have forgotten intellectually, even though I am sure they remember residually, exactly what freedom means. That's not freedom with a capital "F". That's a small "f" freedom that appeals to Democrats, Republicans, the Left, the Right, Conservatives, and Liberals...the freedom to do what we each wish to do. We all take that for granted. We assume we can speak up. For Estonians under the Societ occupation, that was not possible without severe consequences, and only the bravest among them spoke up then.The Singing Revolution takes place in Estonia, but is not really about Estonia. It is about humankind's unstoppable dream for individual freedom and and political self-determination. Even under the harshest conditions ... executions, deportations, arbitary arrests ... Estonians never lost the hope of reclaiming their independent nation. That hope was fulfilled when they played a critical, though little known, role in the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The success that freedom brings to a society often is the very enemy of freedom. It is hard to stay focused on this precious gift when one has the ability to make a focus on one's family and improve life on any level that one wishes to measure success. We forget how important freedom is just like we forget how important oxygen is. We just breathe.
More than any other people on earth, Americans have had the freedom to forget what freedom means. The Tustys' The Singing Revolution is a timely and necessary reminder of how hard people fight for it, and how deeply felt it is for those who have had it taken away. As such, it's an inspirational story of historical import not only for Estonians--who lived it--but also for the rest of the world to see and experience.