Tell us more about your project. How did you gravitate to this subject, and what is the work about?
Before or After (“Ennen tai jälkeen”) is an episodic film about waiting and unfulfilled expectations. It describes the brief and unexpected encounters that occur while waiting in line, which can be more meaningful than what people got in line for in the first place.
Waiting in line, as a topic and situation, has been on my mind for a very long time, but the perspective seemed to fall into place when I decided to approach it in an episodic way, through several stories.
What can you say with a feature film that you couldn’t say in other forms?
I think there’s a place for a feature film in this age because it’s a form that tells a whole story. A full-length film sets a beginning and an end, a limit to the story or theme it deals with. In this way, the film has the potential to be something more than just part of an endless and ubiquitous audiovisual stream. A feature film can leave you feeling satiated and nourished in a different way than other forms.
What kinds of filmmakers inspire your own work?
As a viewer, I mostly look for an experience in a film that feels emotionally real and intellectually honest and doesn’t try to force-feed anything to its audience. I’m inspired by creators who understand the world and life in a strongly political way but, at the same time, see it as their duty to form a clear aesthetic perspective on their understanding, instead of indulging in propaganda.
There are films in which every image exudes not only endless interest and love, but also a sense of duty towards the world. There is an understanding that placing a camera somewhere is at least as morally binding an act as doing the same with your own body – no matter what genre of film or how small the subject matter.
What will Kehittämö’s support enable you to do with your first feature film in concrete terms?
With Kehittämö’s support, I can write the actual script based on the plan. We are working on the script together with producer Ida Karoskoski and our mentor Grant Keir. We are trying to clarify why these stories belong in the same film.
As each episode is strongly set in a single location, we try to find locations that are already possible or at least inspiring to shoot during the Kehittämö process. We are also working on scenes with the actors and producing demo material that we can show when we apply for production funding in the future.
Interviewer: Ella Jaakkola
Photo: Riitta Supperi
