Huutajat - Mika Ronkainen
18.11.2008 ICA, London

Image: Vesa Taipaleenmäki

Art European Documentary Season is a EUNIC project screening documentary films chosen by the participating EUNIC countries. This year’s Finnish film is the well-received and stylishly produced, Screaming Men (’Huutajat’ 2003) screening 18.11. at the ICA.

Director Mika Ronkainen’s award-winning film about the Finnish male choir, Screaming Men has become an international phenomenon attracting media attention across the world.

'A brilliant documentary. This has to be seen to be believed.'– The List
'Hilarious and highly stylish.' - David Parkinson, BBC1
'Puckish.'– Kenneth Turan, LA Times

Screaming Men is an entertaining film about power, nationalism, intransigence and firm belief in your own art. The creative process of conductor Sirviö often leads to conflicts between the choir and the outside world – sometimes also within the choir. The film follows the choir both in Finland and on international concert trips (France, Japan and Iceland) during a span of five years. Similarly to the choir, the documentary walks the thin line between the dead serious and the absurd.

2003 Screaming Men was awarded as the Best Nordic Documentary at Nordisk Panorama Festival in Sweden, received the Finnish National Arts Council Quality Award for Cinema and had Special Mention at Marseille International Documentary Film Festival, Copenhagen International Documentary Festival and Tampere Film Festival.

The documentary was produced by Finnish Klaffi Tuotannot and Yle TV1 in collaboration with Danish Zentropa Real. Screaming Men first premiered February 2003 in Finland.

Enquiries:
http://www.europe.org.uk/artdoc/finland/