The Raft of the Medusa

Jan Ijäs

Le radeau de la Méduse parallels the wrecked boats of the African immigrants on the Italian Lampedusa island and the abandoned cars of asylum seekers that have travelled from Russia to Salla, Finnish Lapland with Théodore Géricault’s painting The Raft of the Medusa (1818-1819), located in Louvre. Based on true events, the subject of the painting is the 1816 shipwreck of Méduse, a frigate with administrative personnel on their way from France to African colonies. The passengers of the ship rescued on a raft they built and left drifting on the open sea with fatal consequences. Over the years, the painting has become a universal symbol for both despair and hope.

Production Year
2017
Duration
00:18:00
Type
Genre
Tags
Original Title
Le Radeau de la Méduse
Finnish Title

Medusan lautta

English Title

The Raft of the Medusa

Production Countries
Finland,France,Spain,Italy
Dialogue
Yes
Sound
Yes
Cast
Jan Ijäs (Author), Ville Piippo (Cinematographer), Jan Ijäs (Cinematographer), Matti Ahopelto (Composer), Jan Ijäs (Director), Jan Ijäs (Editor), Jan Ijäs (Script), Karri Niinivaara (Sound Design), Rebecca Clamp (Narrator), Atalante Oy (Production Company)
Press Photos

Jan Ijäs

Born: 1975

Media artist and film director Jan Ijäs (b. 1975) studied documentary film making at the Department of Film, Television and Scenography at the Aalto University in Helsinki. His work can be described as a blend of avant garde, experimental media art and documentary film making. His films have been screened at more than 200 Finnish and international film festivals and as installations in museums and art galleries. He has won numerous awards, including the Finnish Risto Jarva Prize in 2011 for SWEET MOV(I)E, Raft of the Médusa, film about immigration won Amnesty International Award 2018 at the IndieLisboa film festival in Portugal.

28 works