Splinters (2011) | Director/Writer: Peter Von Bagh
Peter Von Bagh (1943-2014) was a Finnish film historian and director of Helsinki, Forever (2008).
As a companion piece, his documentary Splinters offers an insight into the work of artist Johani Aho and his family. Narrated by architect Eero Saarinen and Peter Von Bagh himself, it spans a century of creative output from his wife Venny Soldan-Brofeldt, sons Heikki Aho and Bjorn Soldan, covering their contribution to art in film, and daughter Claire Aho’s photographs. With Martii Turunen’s original score it provides a fascinating and nostalgic backcloth to Finland’s contemporary art scene.
Helsinki Forever | Director/Writer: Peter Von Bagh
From a startling opening sequence of an ice-breaker entering the harbour to the sobering final moments of Wartime occupation, Peter Von Bagh, former director of the famous Midnight Sun Film Festival, reveals a hundred years of Helsinki in this paean to his birthplace.
Darting backwards and forwards in time and place from 1907 with a modest population of 40,000, the capital grew into a vibrant and exciting centre offering up its pleasures gladly and never taking itself too seriously, leaving you wanting more. The abundant and endless creativity of its painters, architects, cinema directors (Ari Kaurismaki, Tapio Suominen, Alvar Aalto) and musicians who built and shaped the city, some of whom are little known abroad, are showcased here via a montage of archive footage, photographs and paintings. Von Bagh and two female voices narrate to a light-hearted soundtrack featuring Finnish composer Henrik Otto Donner, and visuals by contributing cinematographer Pirjo Honkasalo (Concrete Night). @MeredithTaylor
AVAILABLE ON MUBI