#Inari Niemi

[heavenlycreatures]

valoa valoa valoa (2023) directed by inari niemi

[artfilmfan]

Light Light Light (Inari Niemi, 2023)

[kaipanzero]

Valoa valoa valoa (2023)

[thequietclub]

that fucking deer metaphor.

Light Light Light (Inari Niemi, 2023)

[dailyworldcinema]

LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT / VALOA VALOA VALOA 2023 | dir. Inari Niemi

[discolesbo]

Unknown ancient languages in the area of modern day Finland

Before the arrival of Western Uralic languages, which eventually developed into the Sámi languages and Finnish, there were already earlier languages being spoken in the area of modern day Finland. These ancient languages are completely unknown to us; after all, their cultures did not write. However, some names and words from those languages still live on as they were loaned into Sámi and Finnish and are still in use.

The prevalence of these loan words is higher in Sámi than in Finnish: as much as third of the words in Sámi languages are of unknown origin. The Sámi linguist Ante Aikio has been able to find at least two different ancient languages which the Sámi languages loaned words from in the area. The southern language he has dubbed Paleo-Lakelandic, the northern one Paleo-Laplandic. Before the arrival of Western Uralic languages, there had already been human settlements in Finland for nearly 10 millenia.

The first wave of Western Uralic languages came from the group whose Western Uralic dialect eventually developed into the Proto-Sámic language. As established, they loaned a lot of words from these ancient languages in Finland. The Finnish language has a more complicated origin, geographically. I'll write it with a smaller font as it is kind of off-topic but if you're interested:

The sister of Proto-Sámic is Proto-Baltic Finnic, which was born when Western Uralic dialects west of modern day Central Russia split into Proto-Finnic and Mordvinic lanugages. At this state, they loaned words from the ancient language of the Comb-Ceramic culture. Some of Proto-Finnics started living together with the Indo-European Baltic speakers, resulting in the birth of the Proto-Baltic Finnic language. This community was bilingual; possibly even for a thousand years. This explains the massive amount of Baltic loan words in Finnish. This community also loaned words from the earlier languages of the Baltic (before the arrival of Baltic or Proto-Baltic Finnic languages), mainly names of different kinds of fish.

After this, the Proto-Baltic Finnic language spread over the gulf to Southern Finland and encountered ancient languages of Finland it borrowed words from. Eventually, it encountered (and mixed with) Proto-Sámic. This mixing resulted in the birth of Finnish (or rather, its different dialects) as its separate language. Similarly, in the more northern areas, the Proto-Sámic language split into the different Sámi languages of modern day.

This process was slow. In the 17th century, there were still the last speakers of a Sámi language in Kainuu, for example. However, they mixed with and switched to Finnish centuries ago. And similarly, there were possibly still pre-Sámi languages spoken in the north of Fennoscandia during the Medieval times. They switched to speaking Sámi, much like Sámi-speakers in more southern areas switched to speaking Finnish.

Some words (note these are educated guesses):

The words "kontio" (bear) and "nuotio" (campfire) possibly came to Finnish through Sámi, originally from Old Lakelandic. Also through Sámi, from Old Laplandic, are the words "mursu" (walrus), "norppa" (ringed seal), and "kiiruna" (rock ptarmigan).

Some words that were loaned from ancient languages directly to Proto-Finnish without the Sámi middleman include "niemi" (small peninsula), "saari" (island), and "vuori" (mountain, hill).

Many place names in Finland have names that seem to originate from ancient languages as well, such as Saimaa, Inari and Päijänne.

The text is translated and condensed from Ennen suomea ja saamea Suomen alueella puhuttiin lukuisia kadonneita kieliä — kielitieteilijät ovat löytäneet niistä jäänteitä (Prior to Finnish and Sámi, multiple lost languages were spoken in the area of Finland — linguists have found relicts of them).

[jennyboom21]

Pride Pictures will aim to bring queer cinema to North American audiences with no language or regional barriers. The company’s launch comes as representation for LGBTQ+ communities is increasing, but the challenge of getting indie queer films into theaters and onto streaming platforms grows.

“There’s a lot of wonderful films made by amazing queer filmmakers from around the world that never get seen by North American audiences other than in festivals, and I’m excited to help some of these films find the audiences they deserve. I really feel that we need to bring light to these amazing films by amazing filmmakers that are underrepresented in the filmmaking community,” Federgreen said in a statement.

Cooper will head up acquisitions at Pride Pictures after serving as director of programming at Durham Film Festival for five years, a producer on the documentary feature and Mexican-Canadian co-production El Gran Salto and working as a festival manager at genre film distributor Raven Banner Entertainment.

“Given the climate that we are in, films can play an important role in education as well as entertaining many,” Cooper added in his own statement.

The Finnish feature Light Light Light from director Inari Niemi, being introduced to international buyers at EFM by Intramovies, is set in the spring of 1986 when, amid the Chernobyl nuclear explosion, Mimi, a young woman, in a small Finnish village fills the life of 15-year-old Mariia with radiating light. Twenty years later, Mariia returns home to take care of her sick mother and memories of that meaningful summer start to surface.

Rhys Howard’s Eudaimonia stars Alexandra Dawkins as Prudence, a young artist with telepathic abilities searching for connection and meaning in a world of her own eccentric design.

Pride Pictures plans a summer 2024 release for Light, Light, Light and Eudaimonia.

[sowhatisthisfor]

LGBT-related films (worst to best)

Cos I get a lot of Qs about which LGBTQIA+ related film to watch. I tried putting together a list of films I’ve seen from worst to best. (Updated after I watched them):

Room in Rome [Julio Medem, 2010, Spain] This is porn. Nothing else. 1/10

Gigli [Martin Brest, 2003, United States] Atrocious. I have no words. 1/10

Very Good Girls [Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal, 2014, United Kingdom] Very bad film. 1/10 

Raven’s Touch [Dreya Weber and Marina Rice Bader, 2015, United States]  Yet another poorly narrated contrived drama by Bader. 2/10

Elena Undone [Nicole Conn, 2010, 2010] Very preachy, it’s like an educational video w/ characters too stupid to perceive the odds of forbidden love. 2/10

A Perfect Ending [Nicole Conn, 2012, United States] Tries too hard to be artistic. Isn’t artistic. 2/10

Rome and Juliet 

The World Unseen [Shamim Sarif, 2007, South Africa] Well they are beautiful. Nothing else is special. 2/10

Jenny’s Wedding [Mary Agnes Donoghue, 2015, United States] In which Jenny is marrying someone she clearly has no chemistry with in a film that’s too predictable. 2/10

Bare [Natalia Leite, 2015, United States] Nothing here feels real. 2/10

I Can't Think Straight [Shamim Sarif, 2008, UK-India] Who directed this crap again? Probably the worst ensemble cast I've seen, I need to laugh. 2/10

Breaking the Girls [Jamie Babbit, 2013, United States] Crazy twists, crazy characters. 3/10 

Anatomy of a Love Seen [Marina Rice Bader, 2014, United States] Forgot the importance of continuity, it feels like the first cut. 4/10

When Night is Falling [Patricia Rozema, 1995, Canada] Kind of flat but still worth a look. 4/10 

Bloomington [Fernanda Cardoso, 2010, United States] Poorly-directed that despite the chemistry, it is still so hard to believe. 4/10

Kesäkaverit [Inari Niemi, 2014, Finland] Just another summer story. 4/10

Below Her Mouth [April Mullen, 2017, United States] Besides the sexual chemistry between its two characters, nothing much is in there. Just another erotic lesbian film that's already bordering on soft porn. Not buying the "love" there. 5/10

Imagine Me and You [Ol Parker, 2006, United States] Cliche, stereotypical. Yet I found it enjoyable. 5/10

Kiss Me [Alexandra-Therese Keining, 2011, Sweden] With a storyline so common, it could have played more with its plot. 5/10 

Lost and Delirious [Lea Pool, 2001, United States] It should be okay if it didn't try too hard on making a point. 5/10 

Freeheld [Peter Sollett, 2015, United States] Page has a flimsy character, it’s so hard to love her—that even w/ Moore’s flair, their chemistry still fails. 6/10 

High Art [Lisa Cholodenko, 1998, United States] Solid, sexy, crafted characters. a psychological rollercoaster. 6/10

Les Chansons d’amour [Christophe Honoré, 2008, France] Has an interesting take on love, intimacy, and sexual desires, but has an ensemble of half-baked characters to make it work. 6/10

Our Love Story [Lee Hyun-ju, 2017, South Korea] I would love to have liked it but the chemistry doesn’t work for me. 6/10

The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister [James Kent, 2010, United Kingdom] Anne Lister in eighteen hundreds is interestingly and impressively way ahead of her time. 6.5/10 

Tipping the Velvet [Geoffrey Sax, 2002, United Kingdom] Starts off so good, but crumbles towards the end. 6.5/10 

Boy Meets Girl [Eric Schaeffer, 2015, United States] I would like it to go somewhere else, but everything is unexpected and that’s what’s best about it. 6.5/10 

Atomic Blonde [David Leitch, 2017, United States] I love it. I hate that they killed the part of her that makes her human, but I love it. 6.5/10

Heartland [Maura Anderson, 2017, United States] A lot of technical expertise is lacking but it's heartbreaking just the same. 7/10

Loving Annabelle [Katherine Brooks, 2006, United States] Despite its lack of plot, it was enough to love Annabelle. Seems half-cooked though by the end of the film. 7/10 

Affinity [Tim Fywell, 2008, United Kingdom] I’m very angry, disappointed, and affected. If that’s the goal, then it did I great job. 7/10 

Baka Bukas [Samantha Lee, 2017, Philippines] A realistic take on coming out and drifting apart. 7/10 

The Girl King [Mika Kaurismaki, 2015, Sweden, Finland] has a strong female character who does not dare conform to society’s truths. 7/10

Jorgen + Anne = Sant [Sewitsky, 2011, Norway] When it comes to love, who are we to judge? 7/10 

Show Me Love [Lucas Moodysson, 1998, Sweden] Rebellion, depression, confusion, fear, pain... This film is so sincere w/ what it wants you to understand. 7/10

That’s Not Us [William Sullivan, 2015, United States] Very real and natural, I’m nostalgic for reasons I cannot explain. 7.5/10

Stranger by the Lake [Alain Guiraudie, 2014, France] Engrossing in a strange kind of way. 7.5/10

Love, Simon [Greg Berlanti. 2018, United States] It’s a very familiar coming-of-age romance, but that familiarity is what made it stand out. 7.5/10

Ned’s Project [Lem Lorca, 2016, Philippines] Has a profound sense of lesbian issues w/ a well-thought-of character superbly portrayed by Angeli Bayani. 8/10 

Blue is the Warmest Color [Abdellatif Kechiche, 2013, France] The storyline is nothing I haven't seen before but how it's told is so sincere-it's honestly felt. 8/10

Pride [Matthew Warchus, 2014, United Kingdom] In which inspiring LGBT people fight for the rights of another oppressed community. A film about acceptance, respect, solidarity, and finding friendship amidst homophobia and union battles. It is truly uplifting and heartwarming. 8/10 

Beach Rats [Eliza Hittman, 2017, United States] Overall, a substantial commentary on the stigma of homosexuality and its effect on why people choose to hide. 8/10

Changing Partners [Dan Villegas, 2017, Philippines] uses strong dialogues and character play that makes it rare and magical. 8/10

Battle of the Sexes [Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris, 2017, United States] Makes me feel bad for not being alive yet when it happened. Ace. 8/10

Grandma [Paul Weitz, 2015, United States] I love the story, I love how it unfolds, and I love how it will live in me for sure. 9/10

Ang Huling Cha Cha ni Anita [Sigrid Andrea Bernardo, 2013, Philippines] Sometimes, it's the little heartache that reminds you of who you are. Absolutely astounding cinema. 9/10

The Hours [Stephen Daldry, 2002, United States] It has a perfect pinch of sadness which I am deeply in love with-sadness that's actually quiet yet blissful. 9.5/10

First Girl I Loved [Kerem Sanga, 2016, United States] a tender coming-of-age drama that tackles discovering self identity and the fear that comes with that realization. So raw, it’s thrilling. 9.5/10

Beats Per Minute (BPM) [Robin Campillo, 2017, France] Goosebumps. This is a film clear of its objective, it is exhilarating and exhausting in the good kind of way. 9.5/10

Thelma [Joaquim Trier, 2017, Norway] Meticulously-crafted film that questions fundamentalism as a basis for joy and purity. I yearn for films as poetic as this. 9.5/10

Moonlight [Barry Jenkins, 2017, United States] A rare impressionistic film on a man’s struggle to finding himself, something so rich in poetry and visual excellence, it’s spell-binding. 10/10

Fingersmith [Aisling Walsh, 2005, United Kingdom] Well-written, intensely-directed, and strongly-acted. Easily a favourite. 10/10 

Respire [Mélanie Laurent, 2015, France] With its overall well-observed direction, it’s compelling both visually and story-wise. 10/10

Call Me By Your Name [Luca Guadagnino, 2017, Italy, Brazil, France, United States] Its authenticity is incredibly palpable, I can taste it in my mouth. Something made with much love, my heart aches. Timothée Chalamet is remarkable. That last frame is unforgettable. 10/10

The Handmaiden [Park Chan-wook, 2016, South Korea] Lavish, sensual, beyond clever. Having watched and read Fingersmith won’t make this gem a tad predictable. Park Chan-wook’s adaptation even exceeded my expectations. 10/10

The Duke of Burgundy [Peter Strickland, 2015, United Kingdom] Remarkable. A film so beautiful, it’s so hard to forget. I love this too much, it’s almost haunting. 10/10

Carol [Todd Haynes, 2015, United States] a tough film w/ first-rate performances by both Blanchett & Mara that utterly make up for its minor dull moments. 10/10

[heavenlycreatures]

valoa valoa valoa (2023) directed by inari niemi

[heavenlycreatures]

valoa valoa valoa (2023) directed by inari niemi

[365filmsbyauroranocte]

Light Light Light (Inari Niemi, 2023)

[365filmsbyauroranocte]

Light Light Light (Inari Niemi, 2023)

[365filmsbyauroranocte]

Light Light Light (Inari Niemi, 2023)

[365filmsbyauroranocte]

Light Light Light (Inari Niemi, 2023)

[365filmsbyauroranocte]

Light Light Light (Inari Niemi, 2023)