Talk:Ilmar Taska

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The following text, taken from an earlier version, could be used here. Andres (talk) 07:44, 8 December 2017 (UTC)

Ilmar Taska was born in Kirov, Russia, where his family had been sent from Estonia by Stalin`s repressions. He went to school in in Estonia where he won a youth literary price, “Noorte Hääl”, studied at the Moscow Film Institute (MA in film).

Mr. Taska was hired by Tallinn Film Studios, Estoinia as a production executive in charge of development and production, working with directors such as Tarkovski and Kromanov. He wrote and directed a documentary, “Paul Wunderlich”, was a screenolay consultatnt for “Sonet Film”, co-created “Night Exercise” for TV2 of Sweden.

To expand his media experience, mr. Taska became the co-producer and actor of the experimental theatre group called “Remote Control Productions” performing in various cultural centers in Sweden and the rest of Europe. He also worked with independent theatre “Nordstjarna”. While working in Sweden, he won two scolarships from the scandinavian-american foundation and from the Swedish Institute.

Ilmar Taska facilitated high-level meetings between the film industries of the USSR and the USA in Moscow, Hollywood and the Rockefeller Estate in New York, under the banner of the “Entertainment Summit”. In 1990 the Academy of Motion Pictures asked Mr. Taska to produce and direct a segmet with Jack Lemmon for the Academy Awards which was teecast simultaneously all over world from Moscow.

In 1990/91 he co-wrote and produced “Bavk in the USSR” with Lindsay Smith, (Dir. Deran Serafian, starring Frank Whaley, Roman Polanski and Natalya Neggoda) for Largo Entertainment (20th Century Fox Release). In 1993 he produced a TV movie in Estonia, “Candles in the Dark” for the family channel (later ABC Family, The Walt Disney Company). The movie was directed by Maximillian Schell and it is starring Chad Lowe, Maximillian Scell and Alyssa Milano.

In 1994, Mr. Taska launched the first private TV channel, Channel 2 in Estonia and turned it into the leading national network of the country. He served as the president of Channel 2 until 1998. He created the best rated TV talk shows in Estonia with Estonian actors, writers and composers.

In 1999, he served as Estonian co-producer on a independent feature film “Out of the Cold”, directed by Sacha Buravsky, starring Keith Carradine, Mia Kirschner, Mercedes Ruhl, Brian Dennehy, Judd Hirsch. Since 2000 Ilmar Taska has developed various film and theatre projects for Taska Production.

In 2004 he directed and co-wrote “We Won´t Sleep Tonight / Set Point” with Carmen Kass and Peter Franzen (Official selection in 10 film festivals, distributed by House of Film / Cinequest) In 2009 he directed and co-produced a Redark-ABS co-production “Thy Kingdom Come” written by Loris Curci and Mariano Baino, starring Julian Berlin and Tiya Circar, Tiya Circar, Marian Zapico and Olga Shuvalova.

In 2010 he directed the play, “Power of Love,” for the Courtyard Theatre in London, starring Anna Winslet, Christoph Dostal and Tony Stansfield. He also directed a play “GODOT” by Steve Gough for MET Theatre in Los Angeles (a british-american co-production) starring Tyson Turrou and co-directed a play “Lavender Love” by Odalys Nanin for Macha Theatre in West- Hollywood.

In 2011 a book of Ilmar Taska`s novellas and short stories “Better than Life” was published by Hea Lugu in Tallinn, Estonia and will be published by Jensen&Dalgaard in 2016 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

In 2012 Ilmar Taska directed Erlad Josephson´s “One Summer Night in Sweden” for Russian Theatre in Tallinn, starring Aleksandr Ivaskevich and Larissa Savankova. (Recieved a cultural prize in 2003)

In 2013 Ilmar Taska directed “Yes, Prime Minister” for Russian Thetre in Estonia.

In 2014 I. Taska´s short story “Pobeda” won the Estonian Literary Price “Looming”.

His critically acclaimed book of short stories “More Beautiful than Life” was published in Sweden by Soleka Förlag.

In 2015 I. Taska´s story “Apartment to Let” was selected by Dalkey Archives Press to the prestigious edition “Best European Fiction 2016.”

Ilmar Taska´s stories have been translated into English, Swedish, Danish, Latvian and Bulgarian.

— Preceding unsigned comment added by Andres (talk • contribs) 07:44, 8 December 2017 (UTC)