National Competition: Across Generations

In Memoriam/Islanders tells the story of the grief surrounding a mother’s death, memories of loss and the joy of summer cabin life in the Finnish lake landscape, drawn from 8mm home movies filmed by three generations.

A father is informed that he may remain a relative, but no longer a father. Taking the proposal surprisingly well, he begins rehearsing his downgraded role at family gatherings. But once the arrangement proves workable, it spreads. Positions shift. Attachments migrate. Soon he finds himself both obsolete and newly claimed. Famileech is a dark comedy about family as a system of roles — transferable, negotiable, and never entirely voluntary.

Forever With Me is a short documentary film set over one weekend at Grandma’s in Suonenjoki, Finland. Between conversations about the past and the future – about memory, preservation, life and death – everyday gestures fill the days: mowing the lawn, frying pancakes, watering flowers at the grave, just as always before.

The Beauty of Automobiles is an intimate moment between a father and his son – one evening, one car ride, one problem. 

In 28 Days Left a Finnish-Palestinian woman, Amani Lillak, is completing her voluntary military service in the Finnish Army’s medical corps. During a final combat exercise, Lillak learns that the crisis in her father’s homeland has further escalated. At the same time, the intensity of the combat exercise pushes internal tensions within the medical corps to their breaking point. Lillak tries to turn her back on both conflicts and be free for just a moment.