16-year-old actor Tõru Kannimäe to play Bolt founder Markus Villig
Filming is underway in Estonia for a feature film about the founding of mobility service Bolt. The lead role of company founder Markus Villig will be played by 16-year-old actor Tõru Kannimäe, ERR News reports.
Villig founded Bolt in 2013, when he was 19 years old. At the time, the company was called Taxify. The biographical film is directed by Rain Rannu, and its working title is “Taksoäpp” (“Taxi App”).
Plot and filming
According to the Tartu Film Fund, the film will tell how a mobile application created by a schoolboy turned into the international technology unicorn Bolt. Filming took up a significant part of the summer and is expected to continue until next spring.
Kannimäe described playing real people who are still alive as a particular challenge. He also appears in the youth film “Morten,” which is set to premiere this weekend, and in the upcoming film “Hõbevalge,” based on the work of Lennart Meri.
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Actor’s experience
Kannimäe began acting at the age of six in a drama group run by his mother. His breakthrough was a role in the film “Fränk” about young people in Estonia. This year, it earned him an EFTA nomination for best actor.
The actor studies in the theatre class at Vanalinna Hariduskolleegium. He has worked with directors Tõnis Pill, Ivan Pavlyutskov, Martti Helde and Rain Rannu, and calls film and theatre his greatest passion.
About Bolt
Bolt operates in more than 50 countries around the world. According to ERR News, the company reported revenue of more than €2 billion for 2025 and is included among Estonia’s unicorns — companies valued at $1 billion or more.
