Elina Talvensaari found the “berry business” in «How to pick berries» very weird, a little tragic but also twistedly comical. – I learned that everyone has good reasons for their actions and opinions.

How did your film project begin, and under which circumstances?
For some time the «berry business» had intrigued me – I found it very weird, a little tragic but also twistedly comical. My family is from the North, so I had heard all sorts of talks and stories about it through relatives and aquintances. Once I decided to make the film, everything happened quickly – it was a time in my studies that I was supposed to make a film so we got support from the ELO FIlm School. Basically, we just headed to North with Joonas, the DOP, and started working.
What was the biggest challenge making the film – artistically as well as technically?
The biggest challenge was the language barrier with the Thai berrypickers. Their translator helped us sometimes, but she was – of course- very busy with her actual work, so most of the time we communicated with hands and smiles. It meant that a lot of times there were misunderstandings, e.g. about where they were going the next day etc, resulting in us driving hundreds of kilometres around Lappland looking for the pickers! It was also a problem artistically – we had to change the plans a little as we couldn’t really get to know the pickers. But ultimately I think it was for the best and supported the style of the film.
Why did you choose this specific visual and narrative approach for your film?
I don’t think it is a question of choosing between different possibilities. I think it starts with a feeling, and when things go right, ultimately it translates into a visual style. I had a strong feeling of awe, weirdness, strangeness about the themes in the film that I couldn’t put into words and it reminded me of atmosphere in some science fiction films, so we ended up looking for a science-fiction style. And as one of the themes in the film is such an abstract thing as global economy, something you cannot see but something that affects everything, we started looking for a kind of mysterious «presence» of something in the film. That’s where all the visual style and soundscape come from.
Narrative style formed in the editing. As I realized that I couldn’t really introduce individuals by having them say only a few sentences – it would be very unfair – I decided to change the narrative style so that all the talk stems form the environment. It is more like a juoru going aroung the community rather than opinions of some individuals. But it wasn’t as much choosing as it was something you get by trial and error – method. If you can call it a method…
What was the most important thing you learned from the people you’re describing in your film?
I learned that everyone has good reasons for their actions and opinions. I think that ultimately people are very alike and even though sometimes other people’s choices or opinions may seem unreasonable, in the end you might find the same urge or need behind them in yourself. It’s just that maybe it manifests in a different way in different people.
What do want the audience to take away from your film?
I hope they get sucked into an atmosphere that gives them a chance to look at ordinary things as something new. I hope to give them space to think about the themes of the film in a free way, from a point of view that has a meaning to them. And in this case, I hope they get a chance to reflect on things like global economy and the amount of effort people have to make to earn a living – the scale of everything in the world.
How do you look back at the result yourself?
The process was quite difficult and there were a lot of setbacks before the film got its final shape. I’m very happy with the end result, thanks to the great team we had. Everyone really put something really original of their own artistical thinking into the film and in the end all these different parts clicked together very nicely. But it took a lot of hard work!
Which contemporary Nordic documentary film has made the biggest impression on you?
It was a small film I saw years ago, «One Day» by Ditte Haarløv Johnsen. I keep thinking about it still, I think it was amazing. Other film I was really impressed about was “Imagining Emanuel” by Thomas Østbye. And I do have to mention «The punk syndrome» by Jukka Kärkkäinen and J-P Passi, I really admire the approach and worldview of that film. I think Nordic documentaries in general are very good, very creative and represent various different artistic approaches. I think it’s great.
Which aspect of life in the North have the documentaries neglected in the recent years?
The recent environmental disaster of Talvivaara mine company in Finland has made me wonder if environmental issues could be approached from some new perspective. It is very important theme in the North, and those themes have been dealt with from scientific and activist perspective. That is very welcome, but it would be nice to see also a more cinematic reflection about those themes. Something that would be linked to the lives of ordinary people here in the North.
What’s your next documentary about and why have you chosen this subject?
The next film will be about intimacy and sexuality. I’m not sure why I have chosen the subject – I guess after the berries I was still interested in economy, and first my intention was to make a film about the relationship of economy and intimacy or sexuality, namely sex work. But the subject has changed during the research phase, and the focus is now more on intimacy; the need we have to touch and to be touched. I’m not sure if I choose the subjects, it’s more like I keep thinking about something from different perspectives and I can’t let it go, and then I think it might be a good subject for a film because I’m «in it» all the time.
If you could change one thing about the conditions of making documentaries in the Nordic countries, what would it be?
I think the Nordic countries must be the best places in the world to make documentaries – the public broadcasters have been willing to take risks and to support artistically marginal films etc. and the public funding has been good and the people who work there very competent. But things are changing and more commercial or «wide audience subjects» are becoming a priority. Films need international funding, the funding processes are long and strenuous and in the end documentary film makers can’t really live on making films. So I would change that and go back to the old times!
How did your film project begin, and under which circumstances?
For some time the «berry business» had intrigued me – I found it very weird, a little tragic but also twistedly comical. My family is from the North, so I had heard all sorts of talks and stories about it through relatives and aquintances. Once I decided to make the film, everything happened quickly – it was a time in my studies that I was supposed to make a film so we got support from the ELO FIlm School. Basically, we just headed to North with Joonas, the DOP, and started working.
What was the biggest challenge making the film – artistically as well as technically?
The biggest challenge was the language barrier with the Thai berrypickers. Their translator helped us sometimes, but she was – of course- very busy with her actual work, so most of the time we communicated with hands and smiles. It meant that a lot of times there were misunderstandings, e.g. about where they were going the next day etc, resulting in us driving hundreds of kilometres around Lappland looking for the pickers! It was also a problem artistically – we had to change the plans a little as we couldn’t really get to know the pickers. But ultimately I think it was for the best and supported the style of the film.
Why did you choose this specific visual and narrative approach for your film?
I don’t think it is a question of choosing between different possibilities. I think it starts with a feeling, and when things go right, ultimately it translates into a visual style. I had a strong feeling of awe, weirdness, strangeness about the themes in the film that I couldn’t put into words and it reminded me of atmosphere in some science fiction films, so we ended up looking for a science-fiction style. And as one of the themes in the film is such an abstract thing as global economy, something you cannot see but something that affects everything, we started looking for a kind of mysterious «presence» of something in the film. That’s where all the visual style and soundscape come from.
Narrative style formed in the editing. As I realized that I couldn’t really introduce individuals by having them say only a few sentences – it would be very unfair – I decided to change the narrative style so that all the talk stems form the environment. It is more like a juoru going aroung the community rather than opinions of some individuals. But it wasn’t as much choosing as it was something you get by trial and error – method. If you can call it a method…
What was the most important thing you learned from the people you’re describing in your film?
I learned that everyone has good reasons for their actions and opinions. I think that ultimately people are very alike and even though sometimes other people’s choices or opinions may seem unreasonable, in the end you might find the same urge or need behind them in yourself. It’s just that maybe it manifests in a different way in different people.
What do want the audience to take away from your film?
I hope they get sucked into an atmosphere that gives them a chance to look at ordinary things as something new. I hope to give them space to think about the themes of the film in a free way, from a point of view that has a meaning to them. And in this case, I hope they get a chance to reflect on things like global economy and the amount of effort people have to make to earn a living – the scale of everything in the world.
How do you look back at the result yourself?
The process was quite difficult and there were a lot of setbacks before the film got its final shape. I’m very happy with the end result, thanks to the great team we had. Everyone really put something really original of their own artistical thinking into the film and in the end all these different parts clicked together very nicely. But it took a lot of hard work!
Which contemporary Nordic documentary film has made the biggest impression on you?
It was a small film I saw years ago, «One Day» by Ditte Haarløv Johnsen. I keep thinking about it still, I think it was amazing. Other film I was really impressed about was “Imagining Emanuel” by Thomas Østbye. And I do have to mention «The punk syndrome» by Jukka Kärkkäinen and J-P Passi, I really admire the approach and worldview of that film. I think Nordic documentaries in general are very good, very creative and represent various different artistic approaches. I think it’s great.
Which aspect of life in the North have the documentaries neglected in the recent years?
The recent environmental disaster of Talvivaara mine company in Finland has made me wonder if environmental issues could be approached from some new perspective. It is very important theme in the North, and those themes have been dealt with from scientific and activist perspective. That is very welcome, but it would be nice to see also a more cinematic reflection about those themes. Something that would be linked to the lives of ordinary people here in the North.
What’s your next documentary about and why have you chosen this subject?
The next film will be about intimacy and sexuality. I’m not sure why I have chosen the subject – I guess after the berries I was still interested in economy, and first my intention was to make a film about the relationship of economy and intimacy or sexuality, namely sex work. But the subject has changed during the research phase, and the focus is now more on intimacy; the need we have to touch and to be touched. I’m not sure if I choose the subjects, it’s more like I keep thinking about something from different perspectives and I can’t let it go, and then I think it might be a good subject for a film because I’m «in it» all the time.
If you could change one thing about the conditions of making documentaries in the Nordic countries, what would it be?
I think the Nordic countries must be the best places in the world to make documentaries – the public broadcasters have been willing to take risks and to support artistically marginal films etc. and the public funding has been good and the people who work there very competent. But things are changing and more commercial or «wide audience subjects» are becoming a priority. Films need international funding, the funding processes are long and strenuous and in the end documentary film makers can’t really live on making films. So I would change that and go back to the old times!
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