Cinema Opened in Saatse

The community hall in Saatse Village has been completely renewed and equipped with modern cinema technology. Film screenings will now be offered both to the elderly residents of Värska Südamekodu living in the same building and to people from the surrounding Saatse area. The project was led by NGO Satserinna in cooperation with Värska Südamekodu, with the support of NGO Piiriveere Liider.
In Saatse, a small but active village in Setomaa Parish, Võrumaa, local residents — feeling the lack of a cozy indoor gathering place during the autumn and winter months — joined forces with the local library and Värska Südamekodu to bring new life to the long-forgotten Saatse Community Center hall.
According to Ingrit Kala, member of the board of NGO Satserinna and the project coordinator, the community hall was completely renewed both in content and in form. “Together with local residents, we discussed how this space could be used, and the ideas of showing films and weaving rugs on looms emerged. Now we have a freshly renovated hall where, together with the library and Südamekodu, we will gradually revive the local cinema tradition, and under the guidance of Satserinna women, learn the art of rug weaving,” said Kala, adding that there are many more ideas for future activities.
As part of the renovation, the hall received not only audio and cinema equipment and weaving looms but also new furniture and curtains that completely transformed the space. “I truly hope that this renewed hall will become an important meeting place for all Saatse residents. The cinema will help to enrich local cultural life — it would be wonderful to screen films featuring Arvo Kukumägi, who was born right here in Saatse. We sincerely thank NGO Piiriveere Liider for supporting the development of Saatse Village, as well as our partners and supporters — Värska Südamekodu and the Setomaa Parish team,” said Kala.
According to Värska Südamekodu Manager Kati Arkman, the renovated hall will also greatly enhance the opportunities for meaningful leisure for the elderly. “The creation of the cinema has brought a lot of excitement and joy to our residents, as cultural experiences will now be much more accessible — practically right at home. There are very few care homes in Estonia that have their own cinema hall under the same roof, especially in such a remote area,” Arkman noted, adding that it is significant that the project came to life thanks to community initiative and close cooperation.
“The people and organizations in Saatse are very united and active — they want to create value for their community and, by joining forces, bring to life new and inspiring initiatives such as the renovated community hall. We are deeply grateful to the women of NGO Satserinna for their leadership and dedication,” Arkman said.
The manager added that Värska Südamekodu is happy to participate and contribute to other community activities as well — from cooperation with the Saatse Library and hosting local farmers’ sheep in the summer in the care home’s yard to taking part in the region’s major annual event, the Satserinna Sõirapäev cheese festival.