Accessibility Settings

text size

colour options

monochrome muted color dark

reading tools

isolation ruler

Anerca, Breath of Life

Anerca, Elämän Hengitys

In Inuit, the word meaning to bring forth a poem is the same as the word to breathe – an act that inspires Finnish filmmaker Markku Lehmuskallio’s poetic ethnography, co-directed with his son Johannes Lehmuskallio. A beautifully expansive film centred on performance and the importance of song, Anerca, Breath of life was shot over several decades with the indigenous peoples of the Arctic Circle. People and cultures spanning the borders of Finland, Sweden, Norway, Greenland, Canada, Alaska and Russia, the filmmakers are clear to point out, “It wasn’t these cultures that drew up these borders, rights have been violated.” Speaking against these continued infractions, the film magnificently expresses the joy, pain and energy of these individuals and communities through fleeting, magical moments of performance, conversation and cinema.

Directors

Johannes Lehmuskallio Markku Lehmuskallio

Country

Finland

Year

2020

Premiere

UK Premiere

Dialogue Languages

Finnish Swedish

Subtitle Language

English

Primary Contact

Jenni Domingo

Distribution (Film Festivals)

Jenni Domingo