Had lots of fun with a crazy artist and author

MUSIC TELEVISION (MTV) HAD JUST ARRIVED…

Rosa Liksom is a big name now, known globally as very original and influential writer from Finnish Lapland. When I learnt to know her through our common friends in the nineties she already had been recognised and therefore the Union of Finnish Writers wanted have video of her in their series.

I set up to figure out with Mia Wallenius what kind of a documentary style would best suite her multitalented, spontaneous personality and we decided to make it half fictional half realistic. MTV had just arrived as a new exciting tv-channel and this style of mixing visuals freely was to be our inspiration, too.

FRIENDS!

Rosa spent her youth traveling the world before entering the literary scene and she had crazy travel films made with 8mm that she wanted to include, too. Beyond writing, she is also a cultural figure who makes art and performance shows, all dedicated to her very authentic style of expression and also this side of her should be in the documentary.

We invited our friends to be acting and improvising in the documentary. Techno music parties was a new thing then and in the spirit of those, we created fun and crazy moments to film in odd locations around Helsinki. I wish there was something left of that innocent spirit of wanting to be free and expressive just for the sake of it in our time! I think we lost a lot of it to too much self pride and excess consumerism!

Rosa Liksom: portrait of a writer/painter
Script: Seija Hirstiö & Mia Wallenius
Directing, filming: Seija Hirstiö / Heartwaves Design
Audio, soundtrack: DJ Echomiss
Editing: Seija Hirstiö, Mia Wallenius, Raimo Uunila
Art directing: Mia Wallenius
Costumes: Rita Kuva
1991