Jaak Kilmi was born in 1973. He graduated from the Department of Culture of Tallinn Pedagogical University, majoring in directing. He has (co-) directed and produced a string of award-winning short films; a number of documentary films and two feature films. His films have received international recognition and have often been broadcasted abroad. Kilmi has acted as a member of the film commission of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia and the Estonian Film Board, and is a member of the Estonian Association of Film Journalists (the Estonian branch of FIPRESCI) since 1995. Since 2001 he teaches film directing at Estonian Art Academy and at the University of Tallinn.