Aalto student films to be screened at the Flow Festival

The ELOssa! screening will present five new student films from Aalto University's Department of Film, Television and Scenography. These short films bring out the points of view of the young film-makers on the today’s world.

In the documentary "Kirjeitä kotiin" (Letters Home), six under-age asylum seekers from Afghanistan and Iraq write letters to next of kin back in their home countries. Director Anna-Karin Grönroos wanted to use the epistolary form because letters also contain information between the lines: "The young people in the film do not have to say why they had to leave, because their family members already know that. However, the letters communicate emotions: amazement about everything that is new, yearning, and hope that they can meet again."

"I hope that the film make the viewer think about what it feels like to leave everything behind with no knowledge about what is to come. The young people in the film are 16 and 17 years old and many have spent several years away from the conflict area", Grönroos says.

"Syntymävika" (Born Wrong) is a tragicomic depiction of two sisters stuck in their childhood roles. "I wanted to study sibling relationships in adulthood to see if there are any changes from what they were in childhood, and what kinds of changes, if any, take place", says the fiction film's director Kaisa El Ramly.

In "Born Wrong" two sisters are forced to spend a long taxi ride together. Photo: Sanni Priha.

El Ramly developed her script for the film exceptionally thoroughly with the actors: “We deepened the film’s characters and complemented situations in their life. We practiced living in the character’s shoes, experiencing the world as they would, and speaking as they would. I have a background in theatre and I wanted to bring the long and through rehearsal period from that world to my filmmaking.”

"Nowhere", a documentary by Alvi Pakarinen, depicts the ascetic life of professional climber Nalle Hukkataival. Pakarinen, who is a climber himself, explains: "I became interested in the contrasts that dominate Nalle's life, and his solitude. He travels from one distant climbing spot to next, oscillating between first class airport lounges and rundown mountain cabins. This nomadic lifestyle is full of sacrifices: he has no physical home, his social life is fragmented, and close friends are far away for the most part. I hope that the film will get the viewers to ponder the significance of home and what has turned out to be important in their life."

Nowhere. Photo: Alvi Pakarinen.

With his film, Pakarinen also wanted to challenge the clichés of extreme sports movies. “These films are usually all about glorifying a specific extreme performance. I wanted to bring out climbing as an intrinsic part of Nalle’s life and persona instead.”

The students hope that the screening will find an audience in the bustle of the festival. El Ramly is pleased that the music festival programme includes a possibility to watch the films. "Hearing music and various kinds of soundscapes have always enhanced my viewing experience, so I see popping in to see a film between sets to be a very natural thing - an experience that touches several senses!" Grönroos encourages festival guests to attend the screening: "A short film is a great art form! Even if it doesn't inspire you, it's over soon."

The ELOssa! screening is organized together with Riviera cinema on the Flow Festival grounds, Saturday, 12th of August. In addition to the abovementioned films, the screening includes the animation “Bring your child to work" by Christina Lassheikki, Jenni Nylander, Pauliina Parjanen, Riku Savikko, Jade Woods, and Vilma Väisänen; and fiction film “Luokkakokouksen jälkeen” (After the Reunion) by Kirsikka Saari.

Check out the film descriptions on Flow Festival’s site.

The Flow Festival takes place 11–13 August in Suvilahti, Helsinki. Aalto University is one of the partners of Flow 2017.