Teatteri NEO is an actor ensemble founded in Tampere in 2020, currently consisting of ten actors with disabilities and two mentors. Teatteri NEO is developing a novel model of supported artistic practice. Folk Extreme is a Tampere-based organization focused on experimental folk music. Folk Extreme’s artists are creative, open-minded, and internationally engaging, spreading music, dance, and film worldwide.
The work Unwelcome (Enpä liene lempivieras ) by Folk Extreme and Teatteri NEO is part of the 30-piece film series we runed. The piece draws inspiration from the Finnish epic Kalevala and has been collaboratively planned and scripted with the actors of Teatteri NEO. Starring in the lead roles are Joni Maukonen, Mikael Bashmakov, and Leevi Paalanen. The film is directed by Tommi Kainulainen, with composition by Anne-Mari Kivimäki, arrangements by Taito Hoffrén and Janne Hast, and cinematography by Kimi Saarinen.
Curators’ Comments: Unwelcome is an excellent example of how the intersection of outsider art and professional artistry can produce fresh, artistically enjoyable novel cinematic expression.”
