Cinema for me is…
Finland – Iisa Arvelin from Europa Cinemas on Vimeo.
Iisa in 23 Frames
- Describe yourself in ten words.
I am a film enthusiast who loves art, aesthetics and anthropology. - Your best quality? Your worst habit?
My best quality is happiness – I laugh a lot –, whereas my worst habit is being a perfectionist. - Your dream job?
My dream job is to do something creative with passion: whether it is working as a designer or as a film director – or both when I will be a visual anthropologist! - What do you like most about your country?
I love the nature of Finland – how close it is, how it has different seasons and how much its beauty gives energy and inspiration to me. - Your favorite dish in your country?
It is More like a pasty, but it is an easy and tasty snack: karjalanpiirakka aka Karelian pasty. - Which word or phrase in your native language do you like the most and what does it mean?
My favourite word is ‘hippiäinen’ which is the smallest bird of Finland (and of Europe as well!) called ‘little hippie’. - What European capital have you visited lately?
I got to live in London for 3 months before the pandemic (and during the real Brexit), so London it is. - Other than your own, which European country would you love to live in?
I love Italy so it would be a dream come true for me to get to live there at some point! - What does Europe mean to you? 3 values.
Communality, freedom, and cultural richness. - What film made you fall in love with cinema?
After watching Iram Haq’s ‘What Will People Say’ (2017) I knew that I want to engage myself even more with cinema because the film’s strong and emotional story showed me how I could combine my anthropological thoughts with visuality through films. - Your favorite film theatre? What do you like about it?
My favourite film theatre is either Kino Iiris in Lahti or Cinema Orion in Helsinki. Both of them are independent, small cinemas of which atmosphere takes you to another world – to truly experience the world of cinema. - Who is your movie hero?
My movie hero is Sophie from ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ (2004) or from ‘Mamma Mia!’ (2008). - Which movie director would you like to be?
I would like to be either Paolo Genovese with such fascinating moral insights or Iram Haq with such strong stories. - Briefly describe your favorite scene.
I watched lately ‘In the Name of My Daughter’ (2014) which helped me to cope with my travel fever. There was a couple of times a similar scene with the daughter swimming in the sea. Those moments capture identifiably the feeling of swimming: waves surrounding you and the sea hugging you until you feel like you are one with the water – the sea carrying you and your life. - What are the 3 best European films you have seen in the last year?
Pain & Glory (Pedro Almodóvar, 2019) ES Dogs Don’t Wear Pants (J.-P. Valkeapää, 2019) FI Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Céline Sciamma, 2019) FR. - Which film character do you most identify with?
Celine from ‘Before Sunrise’ (1995) is the film character with whom I identify the most. - Your favorite soundtrack or song?
My favourite song is ‘When you are held the tenderness’ from ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’ (1989). - If you had to live in a movie, which one would you like it to be?
I would like to live in ‘A Good Year’ (2006) because then I would inherit a beautiful house with a vineyard in Italy. - Your life becomes a bio-pic. Who plays the role of you?
I have heard that I look like Taylor Swift or Scarlett Johansson, but I would prefer seeing Laura Birn as me. - Which talent would you most like to have?
It would be cool to have future visions in my dreams as my new talent. - What is your most treasured possession?
My grandma’s old leather purse. - What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My greatest achievement is either this coming experience in Venice or that my essay on architecture anthropology will be published in a net journal. - What is your motto?
Gaze at the world with curiosity!