Meel Paliale is an Estonian director, screenwriter, composer, and editor, born in 1998 in Tallinn. His work has quickly established him as one of the most distinctive new voices in Nordic cinema. A graduate of the Estonian Academy of Arts (BA in Photography, 2022), Paliale has been making films since childhood and continues to direct, write and edit in all his works.

His first feature, “Tree of Eternal Love” (“Kiik, kirves ja igavese armastuse puu”, 2022), was made with his friends during their studies, and premiered at Just Film of Black Nights Film Festival. Entirely financed through private capital, the film received near-unanimous critical acclaim, was nominated in six categories at the Estonian Film & Television Awards (including Best Film), and won the Audience Award.

His second feature, “Rolling Papers” (“Pikad paberid”, 2024) premiered at Just Film of Black Nights Film Festival and won the Audience Award. This was followed by Estonian Cultural Endowment Annual Award for Best Audiovisual Work, and getting selected as Estonia’s official submission for the Academy Awards® Best International Feature Film.