Salme Poopuu

Salme Poopuu

Birth : 1939-10-18,

Death : 2017-05-13

History

Salme Poopuu (18 October 1939 – 13 May 2017) was an Estonian filmmaker and actress. Poopuu's career in the film and television industry spanned nearly fifty years working in a variety of positions, such as an actress, production assistant, production manager, producer, assistant director and director. Salme Poopuu was born in the village of Rahtla on the island of Saaremaa to Alexander Theodor Poopuu and Triinu Poopuu (née Tamm). She was one of three siblings. At age nine the family moved to Kuressaare. Poopuu attended school in Kuressaare until age thirteen when the family moved to the town of Türi in Järva County where she completed her studies. After graduation, she attended the University of Tartu where she studied economic geography and demography. At university, she met students Peep Puks, Paul-Eerik Rummo and Kulle Raig, who were all interested in filmmaking. Poopuu began experimenting with an 8 mm film camera and the group would spend time filming one another. In 1969, Poopuu began work on the Madis Ojamaa directed music documentary Uksed as a production assistant. This would lead to a lengthy career in the film and television industry as a filmmaker, working on various productions as an actress, production assistant, production coordinator, production manager, producer, assistant director and director. From the early 1970s until 1996, she worked for Tallinnfilm in a number of positions. Afterward, she worked for Danish, Finnish, German and U.S. film production companies until 1998. From 1996 onward, she contributed to Estofilm, Exitfilm, RCE, Baltic Broadcast and Faama Film as a contracted project manager and an active film producer. During her lifetime, Poopuu worked as a filmmaker on over sixty television films and series and feature films. In addition to her career as a filmmaker, Poopuu has also worked as a film and television actress since the late 1960s. One of her first significant, albeit small, roles was in the 1972 Sulev Nõmmik comedy television film Noor pensionär (English: "A Young Retiree") for Eesti Telefilm. Poopuu would spend the next several decades appearing in often small roles in motion pictures, telefilms, and television series. She is possibly best remembered by younger audiences for her appearances in such television series as Kättemaksukontor, Köök and, particularly, in the role of Salme in the Ergo Kuld directed Kanal 2 teen comedy-drama series Ühikarotid from 2010 until 2012. In 2016, she appeared in a cameo role in the music video "Mind ei koti" by the Estonian rapper Azma. Salme Poopuu never married or had children. Beginning in her early 40s, she was in a relationship with a man that ended after fourteen years. She lived in Tallinn with a summer home in her childhood village of Rahtla on the island of Saaremaa. Poopuu was a longtime member of the Estonian Greens political party. She died in Tallinn at age 77.

Profile

Salme Poopuu

Movies

The Little Comrade
In the midst of Stalinist tyranny, six-year-old Leelo's mother is sent to a prison camp. Haunted by her mother's last words telling her to be a good kid, Leelo vows to be on her best behaviour in the confusing grown-up world in the hope that it will bring her mother back.
The Spy And The Poet
Lonely secret service officer Gustav meets a mysterious gypsy woman. It soon comes clear that it is a trap set by the Russian intelligence. Gustav is ordered to continue the relationship to get a better understanding of the enemy's plans. Unfortunately, Gustav finds himself struggling with the task, as he is falling in love with the enemy. Is there a way out of this situation?
Bad Hair Friday
Grandmother
At an ever-accelerating pace, this thriller / dark comedy tells the story of 8 very different groups whose paths cross in the space of 24 hours. We meet a wide range of characters - from spoiled rich brats to real bottom-feeding criminal scum, and everyone in-between. In the best traditions of Commedia dell’arte, the characters each have easily recognizable roles
December Heat
Elder of the Knighthood Building
The young country of Estonia is dancing to the jazzy tune of the 1920's when on December 1, 1924, the capital Tallinn is overrun by members of the Comintern in an attempt to stage a Communist coup. The film follows the fates of a young soldier called Tanel and his wife, a telephone operator named Anna, amidst the ensuing chaos which determines whether the country remains independent or becomes a minor province in the Communist Empire.
Set Point
Woman at Lasnamäe
On one summer evening, four strangers are brought together by a mysterious murder. A case which at first seems like a regular crime investigation turns out to be something more - a tale of love, alienation and new hope.
Somnambulance
Production Assistant
Autumn 1944, Estonia. Tens of thousands of people leave their homeland in fear of approaching frontline. Some seashore villages remain completely empty. A young woman with huge grey eyes gets off the boat. Eetla leaves the last boat, thus giving up her last chance to escape. Defying the cold wind and rain of September, she returns to the lighthouse which is unexpected to her father Gottfrid, the lighthouse keeper, and herself. Eetla's return becomes her self-encounter and self-recognition.
Georgica
Production Manager
A quiet Tarkovskian drama about an old man who lives alone on a deserted island which the Soviet fighter planes use for nighttime target practicing. A young mute boy is sent from the mainland to keep him company. Both are haunted by memories, the boy about his mother and the old man about his younger days as a missionary in Africa.
Candles in the Dark
Candles in the Dark is the story of a girl who comes to visit her father's homeland, the Soviet Republic of Estonia. After she arrives, she finds that her father is part of the dissident anti-soviet underground. She soon find her self engulfed in the struggle with her father and a lot of new friends, and finds herself being hunted by the KGB.
City Unplugged
Nurse
In August, 1991, Estonia reclaims its independence from the USSR and brings to its national bank nearly $1 billion in gold bullion hidden in Paris for 50 years. Russian mobsters have a bold plan to hijack the gold after shutting down the capital's power at midnight. For this they need Toivo, an electrical technician. His wife is pregnant and she urges him to take the job ("$5000 buys lots of baby food"). After Toivo leaves for the plant, his wife goes into labor. Birth and blackout happen simultaneously; the baby needs an incubator, but there's no power. Jealousies within the Mob undercut the plan's smooth operation, and soon the Mob has Toivo to deal with as well.
Tear of the Prince of Darkness
Pie Seller at the Port
Tallinn, Estonia, days before outbreak of World War II. Hotel detective and Polish writer team up to find Tear of the Prince of Darkness, a legendary ring which can bring Satan’s rule over the world.
Võlausaldajad
Producer
Anxiously awaiting the return of his new wife, Adolph finds solace in the words of a stranger. But comfort soon turns to destruction as old wounds are opened, insecurities are laid bare and former debts are settled.
That Lost Road
Production Manager
I'm Not a Tourist, I Live Here
Production Manager
The film is about one of the greatest social hot spots in Estonia during the Soviet times when apartments were distributed by the state, telling the story of a real estate agent and a homeless man. Mass immigration in 1944-1988 led to demographic conflict. Free apartments were mainly given to immigrants despite the fact that local people badly needed places of residence as well. They are not tourists, they live here, but they haven't got a home.
Young Pensioner
Girl
One lovely day a young man, a former ballet dancer suddenly finds himself on a pension and begins searching for a new place in life. Fate brings him together with a rather mischievous young day for whom her mother has been trying to find a tutor. Many exciting events begin to take place.