Anti Naulainen
Writer
Estonia
Anti Naulainen works as a creative writer. He earned a master’s degree in screenwriting at the Baltic Film and Media School and has assisted director friends in developing scripts for short and feature-length documentary, fiction, and animated films. Since 2015, he has been involved with the Finno-Ugric Film Foundation, helping organize the Finno-Ugric Film Festival and youth film camps for Finno-Ugric youth in Estonia and beyond.
Alongside co-writing the next film for Janno Jurgens.
Project
The Man Who Wasn’t Meant
After years at a Finnish tractor factory, 38-year-old Vaiko returns to Estonia to pursue an unlikely dream: becoming a rapper. He moves in with his uncle Johan (45), a childhood father figure now stuck in his own polished but joyless life. Vaiko brings chaos and color to the household, bonding with Johan’s kids but clashing with his wife Siiri. As Vaiko’s reckless behavior escalates and his music career stalls, buried tensions rise. Johan begins to unravel, and Vaiko pushes him to confront the passion he once abandoned. After a violent breakdown and emotional reckoning, the two men embark on a raw, redemptive journey. Vaiko, long unseen, finally feels cared for. Johan, at last, breathes freely. When they return home, Johan surprises everyone with a bold decision: he’s quitting his job to open a Choco Ball Café with Vaiko. For the first time, the dreamer and the realist find common ground – and when Vaiko begins to rap again, this time, everyone listens.
