Steam of Life
dir. Joonas Berghäll and Mika Hotakainen
Naked Finnish men sit in the sauna and speak straight from their heart. In the warmth of rusty stoves these men cleanse themselves both physically and mentally.
The film takes us to many different Finnish saunas to let us hear touching stories about love, death, birth and friendship; about life. In all of its simplicity camera records the landscapes, saunas and men in almost magical pictures. The presence of the characters and the depth of the emotion reaches the limit where it is almost intolerable for the viewer to watch. This film reveals the naked souls of these men exceptionally intimately and creates a poetic portrayal of Finnish men.
NOMINATIONS:
European Film Awards 2010, Prix ARTE nominee
IDA Awards 2010, Distinguished Feature nominee
Nordic Council Film Prize 2010 nominee
AWARDS:
Risto Jarva Prize and Audience Award, Tampere FF 2010
Prize of the Interreligious Jury, Visions du Réel 2010
First place in the International Contest, DocAviv 2010
Millenium Award, Planete Doc Review Warsaw 2010
Special Jury Mention, Silverdocs 2010
Grand Prize, Pärnu Film Festival 2010
Silver Dove, DOK Leipzig 2010
Universities Award, Doclisboa 2010
Documentary Film Prize, Nordische Filmtage Lübeck 2010
Cinematography -
Heikki Färm F.S.C.
Jani Kumpulainen F.S.C.
Editing -
Timo Peltola
Sound Design -
Christian Christensen
Music -
Jonas Bohlin
Co-Producer -
Adel Kjellström / Röde Orm Film AB
Domestic distribution -
Nordisk Film Oy
International Distribution -
Films Transit International Inc.
| Year: | 1/2010 |
| Length: | 81 min |
| Shooting format: | s16mm |
| Screening format: | 35mm, HDCAM, DigiBeta |
| In association with: | SES, AVEK, YLE TV2, MEDIA, NFTF, SFI, SVT, ETV, ARTE |
