Post Sunny Side

We came back to Helsinki from La Rochelle and the Sunny Side of the Doc. These last few days have been so intense, sunny and wonderful that I am totally overwhelmed. I have learned so much and met so many wonderful people that I can say, from the very bottom of my heart: I am priviledged.

I have to admit that for the past couple of years I have gone through some personal crisis towards the world of documentaries, it´s power and it´s possibilities to influence and make a difference. Three years ago I came back to Finland after many years I spent in Italy and Spain. I was in love with the whole world, naive, in love with cinema and especially with documentaries. I wanted to do my best in order to give my, even small, contribution in making things better and changing the world some way. I had the wonderful possibility to follow very closely the work of Iikka Vehkalahti, the MAN of documentaries in Finland, for that summer 2006. I loved every second of it.

But that summer ended and I was drifted apart from that world and somehow started to forget what it was all about. I wanted to believe that documentaries are made really and honestly in order to change the world, but somehow I started to be very sceptic and lost my faith for a while. I saw people doing this work for, in my opinion, wrong reasons, if you allow me saying that. I saw corruption and envy, too.
 

This year I have met the Storytent team. A couple of weeks ago we were in Sodankylä, the Midsummer Film Festival and I had a full 360 degree cinema experience again. I remembered the love for cinema I had in the years in university. That overwhelming love for the big screen, the sound of it, the images and the feeling and the scent of the dark, rusty movie theaters. The magic.
And then, suddenly we were in La Rochelle.
 

I want to thank all the wonderful people I met these days. In Sunny Side of the Doc I felt so proud for having the possibility to work with Yle. The people of Yle were impressive, capable and efficient. They do so much good work in a real international level and they are appreciated every where. The atmosphere in Sunny Side was friendly, exciting and interesting. A whole conference hall full of passionate film makers, producers and commissioning editors who have, I saw, a genuine belief in what they are doing. It was a dream come true.
 

I want to thank especially Åsa from Sweden who said a few beautiful and encouraging words to me that will definitely stay in my mind for a really long time. And I want to thank Iikka for helping us and for believing in us. It is most of all thanks to him that we had the change to go through this incredible experience. And last but not least there is our Storytent team. Eight people with different backgrounds that together create a wonderful whole. Like our super cinematographer Sini said the other night: We have a special drive and a genuine good atmosphere in our group and that is something that you cannot sell. (And another great woman present in that moment said: You could make a tv-format of it.)
 

Why documentary?
I now remember what it was. I love people, I love seeing, learning and exploring new things. I want to overcome my own faults, barriers and prejudices. I want to be naive and believe that things can change and that we can make a difference.
Thank you La Rochelle for giving me my faith back.
And thank you, the friendly bar tender who collected my camera from that terrace seat I left it on after too many glasses of champagne we had enjoyed.
In Sunny Side for a while the world was our oyster.

Aija