Fish River Anthology by Veera Lamminpää receives the Risto Jarva Award
Finnish Film Foundation hands out the 10,000-euro Risto Jarva Award at the Tampere Film Festival.
The Risto Jarva Award is given to a Finnish film that is fresh, original, and distinctive. This year, the award goes to Veera Lamminpää for the short animation film Fish River Anthology. The jury says:
“During the festival, the jury reviewed the films in the National Competition. We saw both experimental films exploring new forms and more traditional storytelling. Many of this year’s films powerfully examined the finiteness of life, which perhaps reflects something about our time.
Maybe because of the times we live in, the jury appreciated films that emphasized empathy, connection, and the idea that despite our differences and faults, we can still relate to one another.
This year’s winning film stands out because it takes an original idea and transforms it into something uniquely imaginative. In this work, neither content nor form limit creativity. The film shines with a sense of freedom in filmmaking.
The film presents something existential in an everyday, familiar setting while making sharp yet gentle use of dark humour. Through choral singing, the viewer realises they share the same cold ice bed as their fellow human beings.”
Fish River Anthology is currently also nominated for best short film in the Finnish Jussi Film Awards.
The Risto Jarva Award was inaugurated in 1979. The award honors the memory of filmmaker Risto Jarva (1934–1977) and it is given annually by the Finnish Film Foundation at the Tampere Film Festival. This year’s jury members were filmmaker Elina Talvensaari, Foundation board vice-member KooPee Hiltunen and former Foundation staff member Anni Rossi.