Alberta's Estonians DVD

In 2007 the Alberta Estonian Heritage Society (AEHS) completed a 30-minute documentary DVD entitled Alberta's Estonians. This project was inspired by an invitation from the organizers of the 2007 West Coast Estonian Days in Los Angeles to make a presentation about Alberta's Estonian pioneers. It was decided that a DVD would be a good format to use (along with a Reader's Theatre play about the Erdman family).

The DVD was produced by Polar Bear Entertainment, and funded primarily by the National Estonian Foundation of Canada and the Community Initiatives Program of the Alberta government To assist with the production, AEHS members provided thousands of images, video clips and notes, as well as moral support. In particular, Dave Kiil was a key contributor to the project.

At the Los Angeles event, the DVD received widespread critical acclaim from the audience, which included people from Estonia as well as from many parts of North America. A month later the DVD was shown at the Estdocs Film Festival in Toronto - the only Canadian film on the program. Once again, the DVD Alberta's Estonians was warmly received.

Then on November 16-18, 2007, the DVD was shown to appreciative audiences in Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton, each time with Charge d'Affaires for Estonia in Canada, Rasmus Lumi, in attendance.

For information about how to obtain a copy of the DVD, go to www.aehs.ca.