{{Short description|Estonian film director}} '''Moonika Siimets''' (born 7 May 1980) is an Estonian film director who has directed award-winning documentaries, television series and short films.<ref name=fs>{{cite web|url=https://pro.festivalscope.com/director/siimets-moonika|title=Moonika Siimets|publisher=Festival Scope|accessdate= |language=}}</ref> In 2010, she received the Cultural Endowment of Estonia for ''World Champion'' and ''Trendy Dog''.<ref name=amrion>{{cite web|url=http://www.amrion.ee/index2.php?id=10942|title=Moonika Siimets|publisher=Amrion|accessdate=7 May 2019 |language=}}</ref> Her first feature film ''The Little Comrade'' (''Seltsimees laps'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2018/film/festivals/the-little-comrade-review-1202966615/|title=Busan Film Review: ‘The Little Comrade’|author=Simon, Alissa|magazine=Variety|date=3 October 2018|accessdate=7 May 2019 }}</ref> remained the top film in Estonia for five weeks, attracting 100,000 viewers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kultuur.postimees.ee/4482142/moonika-siimets-eesti-film-vaarib-kinos-vaatamist|title=Moonika Siimets: Eesti film väärib kinos vaatamist|publisher=Postimees Kultuur|author=Alla, Hendrik|date=3 May 2018|accessdate=7 May 2019 |language=Estonian}}</ref><ref name=fth>{{cite web|url=http://www.fadetoher.com/2018/12/18/encounter-77-moonika-siimets/|title=Encounter #77: Moonika Siimets|author=Karajica, Tara|publisher=|date=18 December 2018|accessdate=7 May 2019 |language=}}</ref>
==Biography== Born on 7 May 1980 in Tartu, Moonika Siimets matriculated from the Forselius High School in 1999 and went on to study Estonian literature and folklore at the University of Tartu. From 2002, she studied at the Department of Audiovisual Art at Tallinn University, majoring in directing in 2006. In parallel, she attended classes at the University of Central Lancashire under the Erasmus Programme. She completed her studies in Los Angeles at the Judith Weston Studios.<ref name=amrion/><ref name=efis>{{cite web|url=https://www.efis.ee/et/inimesed/id/3030/biograafia|title=Moonika Siimets: Biograafia|publisher=EFIS|accessdate=7 May 2019 |language=Estonian}}</ref>
From 2004, Siimets worked on a number of documentary films at Estonian Television and directed the series ''Selgeltnägijate tuleproov'' (Psychic Challenge) in 2008.<ref name=efis/> Her documentaries include ''Report: Green Estonia'' (2007), ''World Champion'' (2009), ''Trendy Dog'' (2010), ''Another Dimension'' (2012), ''Is It You?'' (Stockholm Film Festival 2013) and ''Pink Cardigan'' (2014).<ref name=fs/>
''The Little Comrade'', her first feature film, was presented at the Busan International Film Festival in 2018, receiving the BNK Busan Bank Award. It was later screened at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.<ref name=fth/>
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Siimets, Moonika}} Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:Estonian film directors Category:Estonian women film directors Category:People from Tartu Category:University of Tartu alumni Category:Tallinn University alumni