The Singing Revolution just premiered in Canada--and Estonian president Mart Laar was there for the event. He summarizes the film's reception thus:
Yesterday the documentary from Jim and Maureen Tusty was presented first time in Canada, Toronto on Estdoc Festival. The audience received the movie with standing ovations. This is actually not a suprise. Tusty’s documentary describes very well the fate of Estonia between nazi ja communist dictatorships, the fight against the tyranny and victory, achieved during the “singing revolution”. This is extraordinary and true story, which is at the same time very moving. In some weeks “Singing revolution” will arrive cinemas across the United States. When You want to see this extraordinary movie in Your cinemas, please register in the homepage of the documentary. It is really worth to see it.
Here is still more on the Canadian premiere:
Mart Laar ormer Prime Minister of Estonia, also spoke. He explained that the Revolution had no "leaders" or plan. He is pretty young for a former prime minister. It was impressive to hear from such an historical figure.The movie was fantastic and I have to admit that my eyes welled up many times. From the end of WWII to the end of the Soviet Union, about 1 million Estonian people maintained a culture and nation despite repressive Communist occupation and the importation of hundreds of thousands Russians. Much of their spirit lived on through song and it was a regular act of resistance to gather together for a folk festival.
[...]
Without a doubt, this documentary deserves a glowing review as an emotional roller coaster that relies on nothing but the real life events of real people with dreams of freedom ... any person who wants to really understand the fall of communism and how regular people risked everything they had for freedom should watch this documentary. If you go to http://thesingingrevolution.com/, you can request a viewing. If there is enough interest in any location, it will be organized. The Singing Revolution is not just about Estonia; it is about survival of the human spirit.
One more:
Last night I attended the Canadian premier of The Signing Revolution film at the Ontario Science Centre. The movie was part of the EstDocs film festival, a Estonian documentary film festival that is in it's 3rd year here in Toronto. The event was sold out, with an about 500 guests in attendance including 2 member's of Canada's parliament and Mart Laar who spoke about the film. One of the film's creators, Maureen Castle Tusty, was also in attendance and introduced the film. (You can see a video of the intro at Eesti.ca)I had seen the movie earlier and wrote a bit about it but this was the first time seeing it on a big screen with a crowd. Most of those in attendance either fled Estonia during the war or were born to parents who fled so there was a personal connection for most people there. The film received a very warm reception, including a 5 minute standing ovation at the end. It was followed by a nice Q&A with Mart and Maureen where they explained a bit of the background of the movie, how footage was collected, how the inspiration for the film came and some of the challenges of making it.
The film is opening in Los Angeles and New York in December (I believe the weeks of Dec 7th and 14th respectively) and I urge you to go to SingingRevolution.com and register for a screening in your area if you're interested. If you are familiar or interested in eastern european history or have a connection with Estonia, chances are you are going to enjoy this movie. Documentaries are difficult sells, especially ones about small northern countries most people haven't heard of, so supporting this movie is important.