Elian Mikkola’s Aries (2020, in featured image) and Milja Viita’s When We Are Nothing Left (2020) were screened at the 45th Hong Kong International Film Festival, held online from April 1–12. Both films were included in the Avant Garde Shorts Programme.

Aries consists of a single window frame; a portal. As the circular nature of time begins to reveal itself, a new decade begins.

Elian Mikkola (b.1990) is a queer filmmaker and media artist currently based in Montréal, Canada. Originally from Turku, Finland, Mikkola holds a BA in Journalism from Tampere University and an MFA in Media Production from the University of Regina, Canada. Their film Magdaleena premiered in 2020 at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Mikkola’s award winning debut film SAARI (2016) was selected to the student program of TIFF ‘s Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival in 2017. Mikkola works between digital and analog film mediums. As a trans -and non-binary identifying person, Mikkola often times refers to their gender experience through their art.

When We Are Nothing Left is a minimalist film about time, infinity and life cycle, created in the spirit of William Blake. The film is shot and hand processed at the Film Farm in Ontario, Canada, during the summer 2018.

Milja Viita‘s (b.1974) installations and films consist of experimental and documentary elements. Her works have been exhibited in e.g. Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Kunsthalle Helsinki, Mänttä Art Festival and in film and media art festivals internationally. Milja Viita lives and works in Porvoo, Finland. She graduated with MFA degree in Time and Space Arts from the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki in 2005.

Hong Kong International Film Festival, April 1–12 2021, online

More information: HKIFF