TALLINN: German Golub’s debut feature Our Erika / Meie Erika has been selected as Estonia’s candidate for the 99th Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards in the Best International Feature Film category. The Estonian/Lithuanian/Latvian coproduction tells the story of Olympic track cyclist Erika Salumäe, who won Estonia’s first Olympic gold after the country regained its independence.
The committee consisted of director Meel Paliale, whose film Rolling Papers (produced by Talifornia) was submitted by Estonia for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film in 2025; director Liina Triškina-Vanhatalo; director, producer and Doc@PÖFF competition programme curator Marianna Kaat; producer Pille Rünk; managing director of Kino Sõprus and organiser of the Valga Hot Shorts festival Gert Põrk; culture journalist and film critic Tõnu Karjatse; and Viola Salu, head of production at the Estonian Film Institute.
Our Erika’s cast is led by Karolin Jürise alongside Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian actors. Erika Salumäe, who is currently living in Spain, was a script doctor.
Estonia’s Filmivabrik produced the film in coproduction with Estonia’s HansaFilm and platform Elisa, Studio Uljana Kim (Lithuania) and Latvia’s Amber Land Film, with support from the Estonian Film Institute, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, the Lithuanian Film Center, the National Film Centre of Latvia, the Tartu Film Fund, Estiko, and the Viru Film Fund.
The film was released in Estonia by Hea Film in February 2026.
German Golub won the Student Oscar in 2020 for My Dear Corpses, his graduation film from the Baltic Film and Media School in Tallinn.
