ilja gussarov is a composer and multi-instrumentalist from Tallinn, Estonia, currently based in Berlin. he trained as a classical flutist at the estonian academy of music and theatre and as a jazz improviser and composer at the cologne university of music. afterwards, he studied his second master's program in film scoring at the film university babelsberg, germany. ilja has performed with a variety of ensembles, ranging from symphony orchestras and chamber music groups to free jazz, funk, rock, and ethno-fusion bands. in Estonia, he became known as a member of the psychedelic jazz band estrada orchestra and has performed at several European festivals. ilja composes music for film, theater, and dance performances. the latest animation he scored, my grandmother is a skydiver, was selected as one of the final 16 entries out of 2,700 submissions to premiere at the cannes film festival 2025 in the program la cinef.