Rebel with a Bow Tie

“I was a pretty crazy president” – that's what Toomas Hendrik Ilves said about himself. And it's true. A man who, as an intellectual, reads kilometres of books, meets top politicians and shapes Estonia’s image, is at his most comfortable as a DJ spinning records in a nightclub. How to reconcile the youthful and sometimes unruly head of state with societal expectations? How to cope when your private life is in the public eye? Jaan Tootsen’s documentary follows President Toomas Hendrik Ilves in the last year and a half of his term in office – as he grapples with the complexities of world politics and his private life. Tootsen’s keen camera eye follows Ilves at his most difficult moments, showing no mercy, but creating a gripping, rather harsh and at the same time very human portrait of the President.

In 2011, Jaan Tootsen premiered the intriguing “The New World”, about a hippie community. The next morning, Jaan received an offer he could not refuse – to join the President’s colourful team as a cultural advisor. Luckily, he filmed everything and managed to capture sincere confessions without official suites between important meetings.