Maarit Suomi-Väänänen

E-Mail: maaritsuomivaananen@gmail.com
Website: www.maaritsuomi.fi

Minispectacles 1-30 / 100:
Touché, Douchè, Souché, Along, Against, Solo, Duo, Trio, Quartet, Albuquerque Straight, Good Night

Bosnia-Herzegovina, Canada, Egypt, Finland, France,  Norway, Paris-Helsinki, Switzerland, United Kingdom, USA

30x1min, 2010-2013-2014-2016

30x1min, 2010-2013-2014-2016

Synopsis Minispectacles is a series of one-minute films, cinematic haikus. The first Minispectacle parts are Touché, Douché, Souché. Minispectacles 4xAlong follows the flow of water, sewage, the Suez Canal and of desire. Minispectacles 2xAgainst goes against with the French Resistance and Occupy Oakland. Minispectacles 9xSolo, Duo, Trio, Quartet portray children, the childish, the childless, twins, moms, the French, french fries, as well as boxes for litter and post. Minispectacles 6xAlbuquerque Straight visits a man and a lynx kitten on the motel on the Route 66. Minispectacles 6xGood Night wishes good night to north and to south and to west and to Speed Market. To be continued all the way to Part 100. Woman with pocket camera.

There is more work in the pipeline, waiting to be finished. I have been shooting Minispectacles since 2005 on my travels around the world. I will create one hundred Minispectacles in all to have a feature lenght film in my hand.

Awards
Touché premiered at ATA Artists´ Television Access, San Francisco. Minispectacles 1-3 and 19-24, premiered at IDFA Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, Netherlands 2010 and 2016. Minispectacles 1-3 Honorary Mention at Helsinki Short Film Festival. Jury Kasitonni, Duncker: “The mini film series is an anarchistic diamond that needs no refining.” Minispectacle Trio was awarded the 1st Prize by filmmaker Guy Maddin, Toronto Urban Film Festival, 2014 Minispectacle Along was awarded the Jury´s Special Prize, Toronto Urban Film Festival, 2014

Credits
Concept, camera, directing, editing, producing: Maarit Suomi-Väänänen Sound Design: Kyösti Väntänen, Sami Kiiski Color Grading: Petri Falkenberg Grade One, Jussi Myllyniemi 3-D Trix, Toast Post, Post Control Support: Gastatelier Gleis70 Zürich, Kone Foundation, Arts Promotion Centre Finland, AVEK, Finnish Cultural Foundation

Biography
Maarit Suomi-Väänänen is an award winning media artist and graduate of the University of Art and Design, Helsinki. Maarit combines the expressive forms of visual art to optical possibilities. Her short films ponder social and emotional themes as well as themes connected to identity and communication. Praised as fascinating, absurd, and open to a multitude of interpretations, her video installations transform space by using other media such as photography and objects. Maarit’s works have toured over 40 countries and presented in numerous galleries, institutions, festivals and broadcast. Her short film won the Best International Short Film Award at the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma 2009 in Montreal and 1st Prize at the Toronto Urban Film Festival 2014, judge Guy Maddin

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