The Bruno O’Ya Scholarship for Young Film Actors has been awarded to Jarmo Reha. The laureate received the scholarship at this year’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival opening ceremony.

“They say that every actor has a certain number of characters within them. I think I’ve discovered a few of mine, and I believe there are many more still waiting to be found,” he said in his acceptance speech.

As a freelance actor and director, Reha’s most notable film roles include Eeva Mägi’s Mo Papa and Mo Amor. His performance in the former earned him the Estonian Film and Television Award for Best Actor.

Mo Amor will premiere at this year’s PÖFF.

Reha is also taking part in this year’s Black Nights Stars talent programme, organised as part of PÖFF’s industry stand, Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event.

The scholarship also includes a prize trip to Kraków, where Bruno O’Ya portrayed a Native American chief in Krzysztof Zanussi’s 1979 production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest at the National Old Theatre.

The trip is dedicated to the centenary of Andrzej Wajda’s birth. It will take the laureate in the footsteps of the renowned Polish film director, who is buried in Kraków, with visits to his archive and exhibitions.

The laureate will also receive a selection of Polish classic literature translated into Estonian, including works that have inspired numerous film adaptations.

These awards are sponsored by the Polish Embassy in Tallinn.

“Bruno O’Ya was Estonian by birth and upbringing. Estonia was where he was born and raised, where he began his career, and where he ultimately found his final resting place. Yet his talent and distinctive personality took him onto the world stage, making him a true international figure and a citizen of the world. It is in this light that we should remember him as we set our aspirations for future generations of young artists,” emphasised Polish Ambassador Artur Jan Orzechowski in his speech.

Bruno O’Ya (1933–2002) was one of Estonia’s most internationally acclaimed actors. He appeared in nearly 60 films, the most famous of which was Nobody Wanted To Die by Lithuanian director Vytautas Žalakevičius. This performance earned him the USSR State Prize in 1967. From the late 1960s onwards, O’Ya lived and worked primarily in Poland.

The scholarship is awarded by the Bruno O’Ya Foundation for supporting young Estonian actors, which has been part of PÖFF for thirteen years. It is intended to support the professional development of young actors with the potential to pursue international careers.