Commissioned texts
THE LEARNING CURVE
Memory of Water, Finland’s first attempt at sustainable film production
In her article THE LEARNING CURVE – Memory of Water, Finland’s first attempt at sustainable film production, producer and filmmaker Kaisa Astikainen describes the stages of a pilot project for sustainable film production. Memory of Water is based on Emmi Itäranta’s debut novel (Original Teemestarin kirja in Finnish), and was directed by Saara Saarela. Astikainen was Finland’s first sustainability coordinator in film production. In addition to describing the process, she interestingly reveals how the work of the sustainability coordinator extends to various parts of film production, but also the challenges related to the job and the production. At the same time, the reader gets an inside look at the early stages of the sustainability transformation in Finnish film production and the role played in it by Memory of Water. The article creates hope that film productions will change direction towards more sustainable practices. As Astikainen writes: “It has been a joy to see how for many representatives of the younger generation a working life that complies with sustainable development is already a requirement and self-evident.”
IHME Helsinki commissioned the article from Moving People and Images Journal (MPI-Journal).
