Valerie BischoffWriter/Director

Estonia

2005 - Photography Project

The Baltic country of Estonia found itself under Soviet rule for forty-six long years after the end WWII. During this occupation, the Soviets built many secret military installations including an air field and nuclear submarine program. Since Estonia regained its independence in 1991, there has been a systematic effort to erase this painful part of its past. Many of the military sites and reminders of Soviet control are either eroding back into the landscape or being systematically demolished. The one reminder that’s not so easily erased are the ethnic Russians that make up twenty-five percent of the population and consider Estonia their home. Created during my time as a Fulbright Scholar, this collection of photos documents Estonia’s erasure of its past and transformation into the modern era.