Bloody houses – a film about property reform

Real-life documentary about Estonian property reform
Directed by Toomas Lepp

The ownership reform carried out in the newly independent Estonia was supposed to create the conditions for the transition to a market economy. At the same time, ownership reform has affected every person living in Estonia, and those in power have often tried to refrain from telling the truth and disclosing the facts to the wider public. The mainstream media, as well as government circles, have generally been silent on the injustice, human suffering and sometimes even crime involved in property reform.

Ownership reform has made thousands of Estonian families homeless, raising children and spending the elderly generations working for the Estonian state. All of them were deprived of their home ownership by law. These people are not subject to the principle of equal treatment in Estonia – they could not privatize their housing for their working years.

This injustice has not yet been remedied! So far, the state has not attempted to do so, nor has it taken any initiative to remedy the damage done to the people.

The film was commissioned by the Tallinn City Office
Toomas Lepp
Estonian Filmmakers´Union
Independent producer
toomas@lepp.ee

For clarification;
On 17 September 1997, the Minister of Economic Affairs Jaak Leimann addressed the Estonian Parliament. Quote from his speech: “Indeed, we have to admit that nearly one hundred thousand are people who could not privatize their housing like others for their working years.”