Rea Lest

Rea LestLiik born May 14 1990 is an Estonian stage and film actress who came to prominence in the 2010s following leading roles in several Estonian films such as Mother ManslayerVirginShadow and November She has won several awards for stage and film roles Rea Lest was born and raised in Tallinn She is a 2009 graduate of the Jakob Westholm Gymnasium secondary school In 2010 she enrolled at the University of Tartu to study art therapy but left shortly after to enroll in the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatres drama department to study acting under instructor Tiit Ojasoo In 2012 she won the Voldemar Panso Young Actor Award while studying at academy She graduated from the academy in 2014 Among her graduating classmates were actors Jaanika Arum Helena Pruuli Reimo Sagor Simeoni Sundja Kärt Tammjärv and future husband Jörgen Liik In 2014 shortly after graduating from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre Lest began an engagement at the Theatre NO99 a nonprofit foundation repertory theatre in Tallinn Lest left the theatre in 2018 prior to its closing in 2019 Lest made her film debut in the 2014 student film comedy short Lõputu suvi English Endless Summer directed by Jaan Penjam and was Penjams masters thesis production for the Film Department of the Baltic Film and Media School In 2016 she was cast in her first featurelength film as the character Riin in the Kadri Kõusaar directed darkly comic crime mystery Ema English Mother The film was selected as Estonias entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film category at the 2017 89th Academy Awards In 2016 was cast in the lead role of Liina in the 2017 Rainer Sarnet directed gothic fantasy thriller November based on Andrus Kivirähks 2000 novel Rehepapp ehk November The film received positive reviews and was selected as the Estonian entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards but it was not nominated It made its North American premiere in the International Narrative Competition at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2017 The film is also notable for being Estonian veteran actor Arvo Kukumägis last film role before his death in May 2017 The same year Lest appeared as the lead in the Sulev Keedus directed drama MehetapjaSüütuVari English The Man SlayerThe VirginThe Shadow Lest portrayed three different protagonists in three historical triptychs of women in Estonia struggling to decide their own destiny In 2019 she appeared in a leading role opposite former Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre classmate Reimo Sagor in the Martti Helde directed psychological thriller Skandinaavia vaikus English Scandinavian Silence The film won both the critics and the audience award at the 2019 Riga Film Festival