Two short films by Marja Viitahuhta, Ask the Foremothers (2019) and Dreamscapes (2020), will be screened in the showcase of Finnish films in Madrid, Centro Cultural Carril del Conde, on Saturday, October 9 at 19:00. This year, the entire showcase consists of Sámi films made in Finland.
The music video for Ánnámáret’s song “Jearrat máttaráhkus – Ask the foremothers” juxtaposes images of the Sámi past with the landscape of today. Overlaid images allow temporal layers to overlap. The pictures also show similarities between the northern landscape and the details of the Sámi costume: the nocturnal light shimmers on the frosty snow like glimmer on risku jewelry, the coat’s crimson folds and the shawl’s colors glitter like northern lights or autumn colors. The video captures ice, snow and flowing water, calling out for the memory of the landscape.
Dreamscapes (Nieguid Duovdagat) is an experimental, minimalist and hypnotic music video. Ánnámáret’s yoik, Ilkka Heinonen’s jouhikko (finnish bowed lyre) and Turkka Inkilä’s electronic music combine with the effected image of the winter landscape created by Marja Viitahuhta. In the video, the nature and landscapes of Sápmi, the Sámi homeland, is transformed into abstract forms, where from time to time one can see similarities to embroidered or engraved crafts. The video deconstructs the assumptions associated with music videos in its own experimental language: for example, it does not show recognizable human figures and the musicians do not appear in the video. The digitally implemented effect reflects the elements of electronic music and the nature catalog takes root in the environment in which indigenous sámi culture lives. In this way, the video travels between the real worlds on the one hand and the imaginary worlds on the other.
Marja Viitahuhta (formerly Mikkonen) is a Helsinki-based media artist and filmmaker. Her works range from films, performances and installations to photography and collage. She holds a BA degree in performance art from the Turku Polytechnic Arts Academy and an MFA degree from the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts. She has been awarded internationally at Cannes (Cinéfondation), Stuttgarter Filmwinter, Mediawave and L’Alternativa film festivals. Viitahuhta’s recurring themes focus on perception and experience of female protagonists. Her works deconstruct individual identities, memories, or the idealised imagery of nations and landscapes. Her work often speaks in an intimate and personal tone and deals with existence and mortality. The text and image are set in a dialogue in Viitahuhta’s experimental language. Viitahuhta often bases her work on documentary filmmaking, archive material and found images as well as interviews.
3º Muestra de Cine Finlandés en Madrid, October 9 2021, Spain
More information: 3º Muestra de Cine Finlandés en Madrid