Riina Hein (born 3 March 1955) is an

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

...

film actress, film and television director and producer, and screenwriter. Hein made her screen debut as a teenager and is possibly best recalled for her role as Raja Teele in three

film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...

s of novels penned by author

Oskar Luts Oskar Luts ( – 23 March 1953) was an Estonian writer and playwright. Biography Oskar Luts was born into a middle-class family in Järvepera, central Estonia, at that time in the governorate of Livonia (Russian Empire). His younger brother was ...

: '' Kevade'' (1969), '' Suvi'' (1976), and ''

Sügis ''Autumn'' () is a 1990 Soviet comedy film directed by Arvo Kruusement and based on the novels ''Sügis'' and ''Äripäev'' by Oskar Luts. The film is a sequence of ''Summer''. Plot Cast * Margus Lepa as Kiir * Liina Tennosaar as Juuli * An ...

'' (1990), and a 2020 follow-up film ''Talve'' (''Winter''). After largely retiring from acting, Hein has focused on a career in television advertising, and film and television directing and producing.

Early life and ''Kevade''

Riina Hein was born and raised in

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

and spent her summers with her paternal grandparents in the rural village of Järvakandi. In 1969, aged thirteen, she was cast in the role of Raja Teele in the

Arvo Kruusement Arvo Kruusement (born 20 April 1928) is an Estonian actor, theatre and film director who has made some of Estonia's classic novels into films; '' Spring'' (1969), ''Summer'' (1976), and ''Fall'' (1990) The movie ''Spring'' has been noted as the b ...

directed

Estonian language Estonian ( ) is a Finnic language and the official language of Estonia. It is written in the Latin script and is the first language of the majority of the country's population; it is also an official language of the European Union. Estonian is sp ...

film '' Kevade'' (English: ''Spring'') for

Tallinnfilm Tallinnfilm () is the oldest surviving film studio in Estonia. It was founded as Estonian Culture Film in 1931, and was nationalized in 1940 after Estonia was integrated into the Soviet Union. During the first year of Soviet occcupation (1940 ...

; a

of author

' popular 1913 short novel of the same name. After production of the film ended, Hein returned to finish her studies at Tallinn 42nd Secondary School (now Kadriorg German Gymnasium). ''Kevade'' proved to be both commercially and critically successful. In 2012, ''Kevade'' was chosen as the "Film of the Century" and Hein's character Raja Teele and costar Arno Liiver's character Arno Tali were chosen as "Couple of the Century" by film critics of the Estonian Film Awards of the Century organised by ''

Postimees is an Estonian daily newspaper established on 5 June 1857, by Johann Voldemar Jannsen. In 1891, it became the first daily newspaper in Estonia. Its current editor-in-chief is Priit Hõbemägi. The paper has approximately 250 employees. ''P ...

'' in evaluating Estonian films made over the last one-hundred years (1912–2012).

Later life and career

Hein would revisit the role of Raja Teele in three more films: 1976's '' Suvi'' (''Summer'') and 1990's ''

'' (''Fall''), both again directed by Arvo Kruusement and based on the trilogy of novels penned by Oscar Luts of the same names which followed the lives of residents of the rural, fictitious village of Paunvere in the late 19th-century. In 2020, she reprised the role for the Ergo Kuld directed ''Talve'' (''Winter''), screenwritten by Martin Algus and posthumously attributed to Luts, but unproven. The four films would be Hein's only acting credits. After graduating from secondary school in 1973, Hein enrolled at the Faculty of Economics of

Tartu State University The University of Tartu (UT; ; ) is a Public university, public research university located in the city of Tartu, Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is also the largest and oldest university in the country. In 1986, she began working as an editor, director, and producer at Eesti Reklaamfilm, leaving in 1991 to establish Creare Stuudio OÜ, where she works as manager, director, screenwriter, and producer of commissioned films, television programmes and documentaries, including the 2005 documentary ''Minu Eestimaa''.

Personal life

In 1983, Riina Hein married journalist and politician Juhan Aare. The couple divorced in 2000. Since 2007, Hein has been an internationally licensed coach of Zhong Yuan Qigong.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hein, Riina 1955 births Living people Estonian film actresses Estonian child actresses 20th-century Estonian actresses Estonian women film directors Estonian women screenwriters Estonian women film producers University of Tartu alumni Actresses from Tallinn Film people from Tallinn