anibar faces

I was invited to be in the jury in Anibar, Peja, Kosovo, from July 12th to 19th. It was hot, warm people, loads of feta cheese and rakia and roasted bell peppers, films in open air, and a lot of trash and street dogs and memories of the recent war. Best thing was a puppy dog up the river in the swimming place. I didn't meet any cows, despite the high expectations. There's nothing wrong with traveling except for all the flying and polluting and being an idiotic priviledged tourist who should have never left home. I send my hopes and prayers for that god damn long Rail Baltic project.

Me waiting for the Rail Baltic.

gli uccelli

Helinan tanssitunnilla...

Muistumia Päivi Hartzellin elokuvasta Lumikuningatar (1986)

Slovenialainen sitra.

 

reading the thesises

 

On the last weeks of May, I read 22 written thesises. It was a lot of reading, but also very inspiring: to read about other animation artists' practices, methods, backgrounds, struggles and revelations.

The project descriptions of the graduating students reminded me that same kind of struggles repeat in the film making processes throughout our careers. Be it in school, with a producer, on our own, with a team, and naturally all the personal situations included. For me, it always has been the case of tolerating uncertainty about the result and the feeling that I don't know what I'm doing or/and I'm not good enough. In that sense deadlines help a lot; you just have to let go at some point, despite the fear that you spent a long time on creating something that is meaningless. 

As I'm again stepping in the paddle of film making, I want to congratulate everyone who ever finished their work, and hope to join that group again, rather sooner than later!

 

itsevalaiseva haava

 

cover illustration for hea laps

 I made a cover illustration for May issue of Hea Laps magazine. Thanks Mette Mari Kaljas for asking!

Summer is just around those bushes

 

i could eat them for breakfast, boy would he be surprised

 

helenin synttärit