Made on the cusp of Estonia’s re-independence, A Stolen Meeting confronts the legacy of displacement during the Soviet era, whilst providing a poignant and nuanced exploration of what it means to be a mother. Central to the film is the concept of home, what defines it and where to find it. Yet home has always remained elusive for Valentina. Maria Klenskaja gives an exceptional lead performance as the tough and compelling anti-heroine, a woman hardened through her experiences of orphanhood, exile, and imprisonment, forced to navigate a world that is hostile to her. The culmination of Laius’ remarkable body of work that frequently foregrounded women’s experiences, A Stolen Meeting is a film that eloquently speaks of resilience, belonging, and the desire to love and be loved. (Alice Miller)

Leida Laius was born in 1923 in the village of Horoshevo near Kingissepp (formerly Jamburg) and died in 1996 in Tallinn. She volunteered for the Red Army as a medic and librarian before graduating from the Estonian SSR State Institute of Theatre and the directing program at the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (VGIK). Her film legacy, developed in part at Tallinnfilm studio, is one of exploring strong women’s stories, mysterious marital relations, and the challenges of motherhood. She was a pioneering figure in the male-dominated film world of the time and a key exemplar of Estonian art film.

A Stolen Meeting (1988), Smile at Last (1985), Kind Hometown Spirits (1983) The Master of Kõrboja (1979), Tracks on Snow (1978), Childhood (1976), A Human is Born (1975), Ukuaru (1973), Werewolf (1968), The Milkman of Mäeküla (1965), From Evening to Morning, (short film, graduation film) (1962)