Director Elmo Nüganen is an Estonian film and theatre director and actor. From 1992-2021, he was the artistic director of Tallinn City Theatre. His debut as a film director and screenwriter was Names in Marble in 2002 with, which held the number 1 title of admissions among Estonian films until 2016. Nüganen’s filmography also includes Mindless (2006) and 1944 (2015). The latter became the country’s submission for the Academy Awards in 2015. With the Melchior the Apothecary trilogy, Nüganen continues his theme of historic films, based on best-selling and internationally acclaimed novels written by Indrek Hargla.