"Regilaul - Songs of the Ancient Sea" is a poetic documentation of Estonian singing culture.
The ancient Finno-Ugric peoples originated a singing tradition of mysterious power called the Regilaul. Based on the continuous repetition of eight-syllable verses, these songs produce a haunting sound able to connect the fleeting present with the eternal circle of life. Against the stunning setting of modern Estonia, this film explores how Regi songs still fire the imagination today, weaving together people and nature through song.
„In Estonia, folk song isn’t some naïve, old-fashioned relic of days long gone. Instead it carries great richness and even explosive power, a peculiar ability to transform traumas and bolster personal as well as collective identity.“
(Ulrike Koch)
