Max Reikter (1912–1993), who made recreational films for more than half a century, documented the urban space of Tallinn throughout his long creative journey. "Ancient but Persistent", which the audience saw for the first time at the Estonian Amateur Film Festival in May 1988, where it won the prize for the best real-life film, compiles footage from the 1930s to the end of the 1970s of Tallinn's old town and the modern contact zone that arose next to it before the Second World War. Reikter tells the story of a city that flourishes, is destroyed, and rises from the ashes, using foreign chronicle footage (specifically, material captured in Rouen, France during World War II) to fulfill its dramaturgical purposes. The pictorial language that caresses the so-called star objects of the Old Town with long panoramas relies on pictorial conventions dating back to 19th century colonial photography, which focuses on tourist attractions rather than the everyday life of the city and its inhabitants. The monumentality is further emphasized by the film's emotionally charged soundtrack. The shots of the burning and ruined old town filmed during and after the March 1944 bombing are particularly noteworthy - documenting war ruins was forbidden to private individuals.
Artists Leili Muuga, Enn Põldroos and Evald Okas capture Tallinn's old town. The capital city in its picturesqueness has been and is still a source of endless inspiration. The exhibition "Tallinn in art" will be opened in the art building as part of the art week. The exposition of the exhibition includes city views from the past century and the present. Paintings and graphic pages with views of Tallinn are shown.
As a result of the initiative of the youth programme of Estonian Television, a phenomenon such as "Hometown" was born in Estonia in October 1975. Tens, hundreds, even thousands of schoolboys and schoolgirls gathered in the old town of Tallinn on Sundays in order to get some easier jobs done, to explore the miracles in the old town, to edit their own newspaper, to organize meetings, excursions etc. and to get to know each other better. Leida Laius tries to find out how the young member of Kodulinn movement and their leader Tiina Mägi are doing at the beginning of 1980s. Tiina Mägi, Raivo E. Tamm, Hannes Astok, Epp Alatalu, Ulvi Pihel, Madis Jürgen, Mart Kalm and others talk about the acitivites of the movement.
Photographer Roman Valdre photographs the buildings of Tallinn's old town and the defense towers of the city wall. In the premises of the Scientific Restoration Workshop, architect-restorers study photographs and archival materials found about them. Old drawings show sections of the city wall and its towers. It is necessary to decide what to do with Tallinn's old towers, after all, Tallinn's insurance zone with its 50 towers is a great rarity. Construction men are engaged in restoration work in Köismäe tower. The Plate tower and the Raeapteeg building on the Town Hall Square are also on the scaffolding.
Architecture students from the Minsk Polytechnic Institute are on a summer internship in Tallinn. Among the students capturing the views of Tallinn's old town is a young man from Ghana studying in Belarus. Passers-by are interested in both his work and the artist himself. Shots of other students capturing views of Tallinn, whose drawing and painting are admired by the city residents, are also shown.