“There’s only one road across the village, it’s a one-minute ride on a rigged moped.” Kihniö, population 2084 and going down.

Director Saija Mäki-Nevala looks at her childhood village through her lens with a mix of old love and newfound foreignness. Small details come to the fore. Everything is both strange and familiar.

Kihniö is a documentary about people, first and foremost. We tour the village with a handyman. A café owner tells a story about a burglar too honest for his own good: he leaves a tip for a soda bottle he’s swiped. People know each other. Is a town really anything more than the sum of the lives that have been spent there?

The film pries open a point of view to the present while displaying the strata of decades past. It speaks of work, home and foreignness. Looking at otherness makes one’s own life seem a tad more peculiar.

Text: Miska Repo

Director Saija Mäki-Nevala and cinematographer Jarkko T. Laine will be present at the screenings.

Languages: Finnish
Subtitles: English

After the Thursday screeening, we will celebrate the premiere of the film in Dubrovnik. The stage is taken over by Jaakko Laitinen & Väärä Raha, the band responsible for the music in the film. The gig is open to everybody. Entrance fee is 5 €. Welcome!

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• Director: Saija Mäki-Nevala
• Country: Finland
• Year: 2014
• Length: 58 min
• Age limit: S
• Format: DCP
• Cinematography: Jarkko T. Laine
• Editing: Samu Heikkilä
• Audio: Laura Kuivalainen
• Music: Jaakko Laitinen ja Väärä Raha
• Production: Markku Tuurna

Showtimes:

• Maxim 1: Thursday 29.1. at 19:30
• Kinopalatsi 8: Saturday 31.1. at 11:00