This interview with Estonian filmmaker Anu-Laura Tuttelberg offers an in depth look at an artist whose stop motion practice is shaped by material exploration, independence and a close relationship with nature.

Anu-Laura talks about her early background in photography and cinematography, her discovery of stop motion through the work of influential filmmakers, and her growing need to direct her own projects so that creative decisions are not lost through collaboration.

She explains why puppet animation is the only form of animation that interests her, describing puppets as living characters with their own agency. The conversation explores her transition from wooden puppets to porcelain, the technical and artistic challenges of working with fragile materials, and her method of developing stories through locations, materials and personal themes rather than traditional scripts.

She also reflects on physical hardship, financial uncertainty and long production timelines, as well as on criticism, feedback and the importance of persistence. Ultimately, the interview presents a portrait of an artist who values process over outcome and has chosen to align her filmmaking life with the rhythms of nature, time and craft.