Riikka Kuoppala’s and Thomas Martin’s project Maunula – film is realised in collaboration with two resident groups from the Maunula neighbourhood: children of 10-12 years and retired people.
The film sets out to explore the possible futures of a neighbourhood while discussing ways of affecting change locally. The residency included a workshop where the inter-generational group of participants engaged weekly in talking and prototyping, as well as in dramatised situations and thought experiments. “If Maunula was an independent state, how should we govern it?” was the theme of one of the sessions, during which a constitution was written for the neighbourhood. Several small cameras were used throughout the workshop period by the participants, whose video materials will have a central role in the film, together with further interviews and footage realised by the artists.
After the residency, Kuoppala and Martin edited the materials in a post-production process which gave a final form to the film for the premiere in Helsinki in May 2017.
The film has been since screened locally in many Maunula neighbourhood events and internationally in the CAPP network's events in Madrid and Dublin.
Script and direction
Riikka Kuoppala & Thomas Martin
Participants
Ashish Ravi Chalavadi
Aadya Charlewar
Asha Jama
Siraat Jama
Riitta Jaras
Matti Kaskenaho
Eelis Lyytinen
Sharone Mayele
Matias McAteer
Anton McAteer
Marja-Liisa Nygren
Raili Valkeinen
Antti Viren
Helli Väyrynen
Edit
Riikka Kuoppala, Thomas Martin, Fanny Roussel
Music
Marko Näätänen, Pauli Hatakka, Saunabaari Choir, Juhani Jääskeläinen
Thanks to
Pira Cousin
Maunula Media Workshop
Saunabaari Community Centre
Maunula Primary School
Töyrytie 4
AVEK
The residency project with Riikka Kuoppala and Thomas Martin was co-produced by m-cult in September-November 2016, in context of the Collaborative Arts Partnership Programme, supported by the Creative Europe programme.