Eläinoikeusjuttu
Directed by
Though Saila and her sister Mai both share a passion for animal rights, they have followed two different paths as they pursue their objectives. Saila recalls when, with a group of other activists, she secretly filmed hundreds of animals destined for meat, victims of cruel exploitation by farms. This plunged her into a legal battle lasting three years during which she risked a prison sentence and having to pay a huge amount of damages. Mai, on the other hand, chose a political career, and was elected as a member of the Finnish parliament in 2019. As both of the young women talk, they reveal their hopes and fears as they face the limits of those, like them, who realize that idealism embraced for a just cause must deal with harsh reality and people’s indifference.
(Saila Kivelä): The film project started with the filming of raids on animal farms and with other footage shot in 2011 during the long legal battle that followed. Gradually, however, I fell into a deep crisis regarding my role as an activist. Meeting Vesa in 2017 proved decisive. I showed him the material, we realized its enormous potential and so, having won a scholarship to develop the screenplay, we concentrated on the type of film that we wanted to make. This experience taught me a lot about the ability to manage the energy and time that can be dedicated to something that you really care about. It’s hard to say who is an activist and who isn’t, because we all act within the society in which we live. My vision of activism is fairly traditional: You work with a group, you assign tasks, you share strategies and objectives. But making this film required me to step away from this vision, allowing me to feel other emotions towards this cause.
(Vesa Kuosmanen): When I met Saila, I immediately felt that there was something important at a political level to say and, at the same time, I realized the significance of a deeply touching, emotional and personal story. We all want to change the world, but we end up running into walls. Is it our fault or the fault of the system? The first day of shooting, Mai, Saila’s sister, was in parliament. In the end the film developed around the relationship between the two sisters, taking a new direction: We observed the family dynamics, we were interested in understanding what makes us who we are and how we act in the world. And for me the meaning of art is to bring us closer to each other, in search of mutual understanding.
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