Anne Kalliola is a photographer, videographer and graphic designer, who has explored Karelian identity before in her project Katoamispiste, which deals with transgenerational memory. At the festival we will see Kalliola’s new film series, Karjalaine iäni (The Karelian voice), that explores what it is like to be a young Karelian person in Finland today. The series comprises of five short movies that depict five stages of finding Karelian identity: homecoming (kotihmyöštymini), the search (ečindä), pain (kibu), community (yhtehistö) and pride (ylbevys).
The original idea for the film was created when the members of the Karjalaiset Nuoret Šuomessa (Karelian Youth in Finland) got together and wanted to create something from youth to youth. Maura Häkki, Milla Tynnyrinen and Sivi Ihalainen compiled texts collected from young Karelians into five stories. The short movies star young Karelians and they are made from Karelians to Karelians. Häkki is known for her Karelian activism in Tiktok. Tynnyrinen works in a project that aims to revitalize the Karelian language and as a teacher in a adult education center. Ihalainen dreams of writing a book in the Karelian language. ‘
Curators comments: “Anne Kalliola’s movie Karjalaine iäni is a bold series of short movies about a vital subject that’s too often left without attention. The movies raise important, sometimes painful questions about being Finnish and Karelian and about the position of minority languages. Watching the movies feels emotional because you don’t often hear the Karelian language or the thoughts of young Karelians. This kind of material should be seen more and by larger audiences!”
Kalliola’s Karjalaine iäni film series can be seen at the OAF Opening at the Finnish National Museum on 17 August from 19:00 to 22:00 and at the OAF film screening at Kino Regina on 19 August from 13:00 to 15:00.
Read more: OAF Opening, OAF Film screening
