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Virpi Suutari
FI 2024 93'
⚬ Green ⚬ Kids & Youth
ONCE UPON A TIME IN A FOREST unfolds as a modern fairy tale in the enchanting embrace of the Finnish forest. We witness young people seamlessly woven into the fabric of nature, swimming in crystalline lakes and reveling in the calm presence of the ancient trees. This idyllic harmony is imperiled as the forest faces man-made extinction. Driven by her love for the forest, 22-year-old Ida becomes the leader of the new Forest Movement, coming face to face with Finnish forest industry giants and confronting generational bias. Breathtaking visuals take viewers into the heart of the forest and the center of the conflict. The film is a hopeful ode to nature and its protectors.
"At its very core, Once Upon A Time In A Forest is a lyrical plea for the protection of the planet. A more convincing argument could hardly be imagined." - Business Doc Europe
"brilliant, immersive" - High on Films
"nature and all its magnificence is captured beautifully" - Modern Times Review
Director | Virpi Suutari |
Producer | Virpi Suutari |
Executive Producer | Martti Suosalo |
Production Company | Euphoria Film |
In collaboration with | Al Jazeera, Yle, SVT |
Cinematography | Teemu Liakka F.S.C., Jani Kumpulainen F.S.C |
Writer | Virpi Suutari |
Editor | Jussi Rautaniemi F.C.E |
Music | Sanna Salmenkallio |
Sound | Olli Huhtanen |
CPH:DOX 2024 |
Visions du Réel 2024 |
Hot Docs 2024 |
Millennium Docs Against Gravity FF 2024 |
Chicago IFF 2024 |
IDFA 2024 |
Tallinn Black NIghts FF 2024 |
Göteborg IFF 2025 |
| Runtime | 93' |
| Spoken Languages | Finnish, English |
| Production Country | Finland |
| Resolution | 4K |
Virpi Suutari (b.1967) is an award-winning filmmaker known for her personal cinematic style challenging the boundaries between fact and fiction. Her films have been shown in the major festivals such as IDFA, Locarno, Leipzig, Vision du Réel and Gothenburg Film festival. THE IDLE ONES (2001) was nominated for the Best European Documentary (EFA award) and she has won several awards as the Best Nordic Documentary in Nordisk Panorama. Suutari has received the Finnish national Academy award, the Jussi-Award, three times. She is also the member of the European Film Academy. The previous feature documentary she directed and produced about architect Alvar Aalto (AALTO, 2020) received world-wide distribution.
