The Birdwatcher

The Birdwatcher
Directed byArvo Iho
Screenplay byMarina Šeptunova
StarringSvetlana Tormahova
Erik Ruus
CinematographyTatjana Loginova
Edited byMarju Juhkum, Ingrid Laos
Music byLepo Sumera
Production
company
Release dates
  • 14 March 1988 (1988-03-14) (Tallinn, Estonia)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryEstonia
LanguagesEstonian
Russian

The Birdwatcher aka The Observer (Estonian title: Vaatleja) is an Estonian film directed by Arvo Iho for the Tallinnfilm studio, filmed in 1987 in the northern Urals, and first shown in cinemas in 1988. It stars Svetlana Tormahova as a Russian forester and Erik Ruus as a student who meets her while studying ornithology on the island where she works.

Iho had previously worked with Leida Leius on several documentaries, and The Birdwatcher is his solo directorial debut.

The Birdwatcher won awards at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the Torino Film Festival, and the Rouen Nordic Film Festival.