Jaanus Silla

Jaanus Silla (1969- ) is an Estonian film director.

Education

Silla, a native of Estonia, graduated Tallinn's Technical College of Photography in 1990.

Becoming a Latter Day Saint

Silla was one of the earliest converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Estonia. Silla and his mother were baptized on January 6th, 1990. [ [http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=024644f8f206c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=35844e8a880fb010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1 "New Era", July 1994] ] Silla was intoduced to the church by Valttari Rodsa who had joined the church while on a visit to Finland. Silla served as the official spokesman for the LDS Church that testified before the Estonian government in the successful petition for recognition. [ [http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=024644f8f206c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=35844e8a880fb010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1 "New Era", July 1994] ] Silla was called to serve as a missionary while Estonia was still part of the USSR. ["LDS Church Almanac", 2005 Edition, p. 325] He served in the Utah Salt Lake City South Mission. [ [http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=024644f8f206c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=35844e8a880fb010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1 "New Era", July 1994] In fact Elder Silla was the first LDS missionary called who had a USSR passport. [ [http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=ceca94bf3938b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1 "Ensign", December 1991] ]

Silla graduated from Brigham Young University in 1997 with a B.A. in Film Directing. He took a UCLA Law School course in entertainment law for the motion picture industry, continuing his study of contracts, split-rights transactions, completion bond companies, studios and major independents, negotiation techniques, and accounting practices.

Silla is a Latter-day Saint. [ [http://www.ldsfilm.com/bio/bioS2.html Biographies: Latter-day Saint and/or Utah Film Personalities: S ] ]

Career

Silla has worked in the film industry in Los Angeles, Estonia, and Utah. He completed the science fiction short comedy "Mr. Calliphor" which won first place at the 1996 Boise Film Festival. Silla filmed footage of the downfall of Communism in Estonia for PBS, the rough draft titled “The Singing Revolution” was completed in 1997. He is in the process of pre-developing several film projects, including “The Megalith”, “Happythought”, “Ford”, “Dale Carnegie”, “Abe” and “Unicorn”. Silla has the experience of setting up a motion picture production company intended as a subcontractor to a major studio in the United States and is interested in promoting the industry. Silla has also been connected in some way with attempts to develop a biodisel industry in Estonia.Fact|date=August 2008

Silla has not included any overtly LDS material in his films, but has at times at least sought for scripts that have LDS principals without being obviously LDS related. [ [http://ldsfilm.com/box/2002/2002_09_06.html LDS Films Weekend Box Office Report 6 September 2002 ] ]

Notes

References

* [http://www.quicksummer.com QuickSummer Entertainment, LLC]
* [http://www.stroock.com/sitecontent.cfm?contentID=49&itemID=278 UCLA Law School entertainment law for the motion picture industry course professor]
* [http://newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/15303 PBS documentary project: Estonian Y student making film on his homeland's revolution]
* [http://www.arileht.ee/?artikkel=331194 With One Foot in Hollywood (in Estonian Business Daily)]
* [http://www.ldsfilm.com/bio/bioS2.html Short bio on ldsfilm directory]