Mihkel Oksmann
director, cinematographer, post-production coordinator
mihkel@suifilms.ee
+3725023468
Biography
Mihkel Oksmann is an Estonian documentary film-maker and cinematographer, who comes from a family of sailors. He holds a BA in Fine Arts from the Estonian Academy of Arts (2016) and has a MA in Documentary Film from the Baltic Film and Media School (2018, cum laude). His thesis documentary A-Well Kept Secret was announced the best Student Film at Ji.hlava IDFF (2018). His artistic style is a combination of a touch of black humor and good-natured warmth towards his subjects. In 2019, he was granted a stipend from the Baltic-American Freedom Foundation for a 11-month full-time internship in New York at the production company Flatbush Pictures. In 2020, his co-directed documentary short Wedding Officiant won the Best Documentary Short award at Oslo FF (2020). Currently he is working on his debut feature-length documentary about his grandfather, the obscure sport of ice sailing and himself which has so far been developed/ presented at DocCeleratorStory, Ex Oriente Film, UnionDocs Summer Lab, Baltic Sea Docs and Sheffield Meetmarket.
Filmography
- in progress In the Winds of the Icefields, documentary feature - director, cinematorgrapher ( Sui, Estonia )
- in progress Lihtsad torutööd naistele, dir. Arbo Tammiksaar, Andres Maimik, documentary feature - cinematographer ( Telepaat, Estonia )
- in progress The Perfect, dir. Laura Liventaal, documentary feature - post-production coordinator ( Sui, Estonia )
- in progress I Land Sound, documentary feature - co-director, cinematographer ( Sui, I Land Sound, Estonia )
- in progress Would Enter This World, hybrid documentary short - director, cinematographer ( Sui, Estonia )
- 2025 Women’s Sauna Tales, dir. Arbo Tammiksaar, television series, season 2 - cinematographer ( Telepaat, Estonia )
- 2025 Becoming Roosi, dir. Margit Lillak, documentary feature - post-production coordinator ( Tiny Desk Productions, Dirk Manthey Films, Estonia, Germany )
- 2023 Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, dir. Anna Hints, documentary feature - post-production coordinator, assistant editor ( Alexandra Film, Kepler 22 Productions, Ursus Pravus, Estonia, France )
- 2023 Auftakt, dir. Hõbe Ilus, experimental documentary - cinematographer ( Sui, Estonia )
- 2023 Why Did We Join the Army?, dir. Arbo Tammiksaar, television series, season 1 - cinematographer ( Telepaat, Estonia )
- 2023 Women’s Sauna Tales, dir. Arbo Tammiksaar, television series, season 1 - cinematographer ( Telepaat, Estonia )
- 2020 Wedding Officiant, documentary short - co-director, cinematographer, editor ( Sui, Alamo Pictures, Estonia, UK )
- 2018 A Well-Kept Secret, documentary short - director, cinematographer, editor ( BFM, Estonia )
- 2018 Old Man and his Grandson, documentary short - director, cinematographer, editor ( BFM, Estonia )
Selected Works
Recognition
- 2023 In the Winds of the Icefields Baltic Sea Docs - BSD Pitching Award
- 2021 Wedding Officiant Oslo Film Festival - Best Documentary Short
- 2018 A Well-Kept Secret Ji.hlava IDFF - Best Central and Eastern Europe Student Film
Education / Selection of training
- 2016 – 2018 MA in Documentary Film Baltic Film and Media School (Estonia)
- 2015 BA in Fine Arts Estonian Academy of Arts (Estonia)