Hot Docs - Grey Violet – Odd One Out
A Russian mother and her queer son try to cope with their new situation, as the son, a political activist and radical artist, applies for political asylum in Europe.
Interview with Writer/Director Reetta Aalto
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thank you! I have a long history with Russia. I went there to study in the late 90s and have been following what’s going on in there ever since. Of course these news about the worsening situation of the queer community there and the so called ”gay propaganda” laws really upset me. I felt like I had to do something and for a half a year or so I was looking for an unique angle to grasp this issue as a filmmaker.
Then I found Grey Violet and I knew instantly that this was it. There was a person form Moscow applying for asylum in my home town, who was a member of the famous radical art activist group ”Voina” and transgender. I decided about the making of this film on the basis of these facts alone and after only a week or so we started shooting.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
The film provides a viewpoint onto some very current human rights issues in our world right now and unravels some of our perceptions of what it’s like to be Russian, refugee or queer, and does it in an emotionally compelling way.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
I think this film touches upon some very contemporary themes. While making it I was constantly waking up to realise that it was not just about Russia. We started shooting in 2014 and a lot has happened since. Now we live in this world of Trumps and Brexits and the populist and neoconcervative, even far right ideas are rising all over the so called ”Western world”. So this may be one individual’s story, but at the same time it’s a story which hopefully reminds us all how fragile our basic human rights are.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
One of the storylines that I had considered very important turned out to be much shorter than I had expected. This is when I decided to take the main character’s mother into a bigger role. She is now the narrator of the film. Also the role of the archive material grew to be bigger than, perhaps, planned. I had all these elements in the script from very early on, but the emphasis changed throughout the process of making the film. Still, in the end, the film turned out to be pretty much the way I had imagined it in the beginning. This is what I find very often with all my creative processes. Intuition works in strange ways. Most of the times it feels so hard to figure out how to solve all these problems you bump into, but once you’ve solved them you somehow feel that the answers were there, somewhere very near you, all along. You just had to go through the hardships to be really sure and I guess in a way – to find them again.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The film is now starting its international festival run at Hot Docs 2017. But about the feedback so far I was especially happy about a comment by a Finnish LGBTQ-activist, who said that she was happy to see how, for once, a queer person had been portrayed in a documentary in such a versatile way and not just through his or her queerness. It means a great deal to me if the queer community accepts this film.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Having spent endless hours in the editing room watching the material over and over again I tend to forget that when the film is now being screened, most of the audience sees those images for the very first time. After the DocPoint screening in Helsinki one Finnish Orthodox Christian woman came to me in tears and said that she is considering leaving her church after she saw the scene in which Russian ultra-Orthodox Christians attack and beat up LGBTQ demonstrators in Moscow. It had affected her so deeply. I remembered then that I had also cried the first time I saw that footage. I don’t want anybody to lose their faith because of this film, but if it makes them question and stand up against some oppressive structures or practices within their own communities – good.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I hope the film will gain more audiences through this website by more festivals and distributors getting interested in it.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We are confident that the film will find its place at different kind of human rights and queer film festivals, but right now we are looking for as wide as possible festival run and distribution, of course.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I had a great experience in Tampere earlier this spring. We had an Amnesty International representative and a queer activist standing there alongside me after the screening and the conversation soon evolved into very deep analyses about the world we live in and the stories we tell. That really got me excited as I realized that my job making this film may be just a beginning of many great thoughts shared. I’m looking forward to many more such conversations. It would be exaggerated to say that I could change something in this world by this film, or any film, but when people get together – there’s hope.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
From the feedback so far I think it’s something about the LGBTQ rights in Russia. However, for me, it’s more of a global question. I guess what I want to say, is that we should learn to recognise and address fascist traits found also in our own societies. It’s not Putin alone who is ”evil”, the ”evil” within and amongst us all, in the structures that we support in our daily lives and practices that always leave someone out.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I’m currently working on several screenplays, which all, actually have more or less to do with gender and/or sexuality. I’m also planning on featuring more stories on Russia.
Interview: April 2017
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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Grey Violet – Odd One Out
A Russian mother and her queer son try to cope with their new situation, as the son, a political activist and radical artist, applies for political asylum in Europe.
Length: 54min
Director: Reetta Aalto
Producer: Liisa Juntunen
Writer: Reetta Aalto
About the writer, director and producer:
Reetta Aalto is a Helsinki-based filmmaker, who writes and directs both fiction and documentary films. Grey Violet – Odd One Out is her mid-length documentary debut.
Liisa Juntunen is the founder and a producer of Napafilms. Since 2009 the company has produced awarded short fiction films and documentaries in all forms.
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreyVioletOddOneOut/
Funders: Finnish Film Foundation, Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE), Promotion Centre for Audiovisual Culture (AVEK)
Where can I see it in the next month? There are no international screenings scheduled yet. Follow us on Facebook and we'll keep you posted: https://www.facebook.com/GreyVioletOddOneOut/