Rain Tolk
Director: Aurora
In Person Q&A
Rein Tolk (b. 1977) is actor, screenwriter and director. He studied philosophy at the University of Tartu from 2001 to 2003. In the 1990s, he worked as a society journalist, later as a copywriter at the advertising agency Age. Since 2003, he has been a board member, director, screenwriter and producer at the production company Kuukulgur Film. From 2014 to 2015, he worked as a host and editor on the ETV cultural programme “OP.”
Rain Tolk rose to prominence through the scandalous black-humour series “Esto TV” on ETV, where, together with Ken Saan, he appeared as unapologetic provocateurs, exposing hypocrisy and stupidity in society. In doing so, they managed to anger a large part of Estonia’s public figures. The television series was followed by the mockumentaries “Welcome to Estonia” (2002) and “Vali kord!” (2004).
His filmography spans 16 films as both actor and director. Boston audiences may remember him from Kalev (2023), where he played a journalist. Fun fact: Tolk also had a cameo role as a police officer passenger in Christopher Nolan’s Tenet.