A Nature Documentary on Dying Birds
A Nature Documentary on Dying Birds -perspectives on ourselves
Interview with Mina Laamo & Riitta Ryhtä (Finland)
Mina Laamo is a visual artist with two decades long experience working in film. She is a director, screenwriter and producer known for creative documentaries Sorrow Tamers (Surunkesyttäjät, 2022), Becoming Me (Matka minuksi, 2015) and The Pests (Tuholaiset, 2007). In her films she has explored grief, the sense of inadequacy, and fear of otherness – emotions we seldom wish to encounter in ourselves. She has implemented impact campaigns with her latest films. In addition to documentary films, she engages in cooperation with Pia Andell, who is Laamo’s co-artist in the documentary media art installation Four Trick Pony, exhibited at the Turku Art Museum 2020–2021 and at the Book Gallery Laterna Magica, Helsinki 2024. Mina Laamo graduated from Aalto University majoring in Documentary Film. She has also obtained an additional Master of Arts degree, majoring in Comparative Literature and Gender Studies, from the University of Helsinki.
Riitta Ryhtä is a Helsinki-based screenwriter and filmmaker. Riitta has a Master of Arts degree in screenwriting from the University of Salford, Manchester UK. She has also obtained an additional degree in Cultural Management and another in Screenwriting in Finland. She has been writing and directing short films since 2013. At the moment Riitta is writing an episodic comedy series for the Helsinki-based Axis productions. She is also developing and writing her feature film screenplay Ebba as a participant of Arts Promotion Center Finland’s project called Filmiapaja. Riitta has extensive experience in working in the various fields of the film industry: producing, film festival work, organising workshops, encouraging young girls to make their own films and teaching film both in university and workshops. With the film on the topic of dying birds, she takes her wide experience to the field of film impact. She also comes from a family of bird enthusiasts from Northern parts of Finland.
We sat down with film director and producer Mina Laamo & impact coordinator Riitta Ryhtä to talk about Nordic climate storytelling and their film “A Nature Documentary on Dying Birds”
It is an exploration of the loss of bird species, where the focus of the film turns to us, humans, and the human tendency to resist change. It asks the question of what is needed for us to change our way of life?
“-Every film has a new language, in this particular case storytelling is about changing the way we see and understand nature.”
The film discusses how we could change our mindset about nature. We aim to help us understand how deeply connected and dependent we are on nature. We need to change our mindsets and our thinking, so we also experiment to shift the human-centered gaze (of nature documentaries, other media and generally how we observe the world around us) to be more ecocentric and nature-centered. We are filming birds as humans and main characters of the film, the humans in the film are therefore seen more as 'the others'. We want to change the way humans consider birds, all animals and nature as ‘the other’ by the methods we have chosen for the shootings. We want to change the initial setting upside-down. We want to change the perception that nature somehow exists outside our culture and way of living. What is happening to birds is happening to humans too, the destiny of the birds is the destiny of humans, as we are all part of the same fragile system.
It is like we have become numb about nature loss and climate issues. Maybe overwhelmed by the feeling that it is something we have no control over, and then it’s a very human way to push it out of mind as a way to protect ourselves?
Film can help counter the numbness towards crisis and nature loss, reawaken our feelings and senses. Help us approach the unpleasant feelings of sadness, ecological anxiety and shame. Film can also help engage communities to start these difficult conversations around mindsets and attitudes.
Poetic language and visual beauty is crucial to engage emotions. The idea was to make such a beautiful film that everyone just have to see it. But it is also about trying to experiment with film and communication form, or language. Nature documentaries have a specific narration and language. We have gotten used to this, to the stories; when we watch a nature documentary, you know right away there will be a polar bear in the end suffering because there is not enough ice…
“-We need to find other ways and other languages, to bring people to see things from new perspectives. This is not only about the visual, it is also about the language and how we talk about humans and relating to the other, nature.
- In that way art can be activism, trying to explore and invent new languages, awaken numbness with aesthetic senses and challenge the othering process. “
Film can also act as a megaphone for activism. When regular politics fail, activism has accomplished change historically with for example human rights. And sometimes it starts with just a small number of people. Activists and filmmakers should collaborate more, they share some of the same attitudes and willingness.
As storytellers and activists, we believe we need many many stories and narratives, but also many different channels. Unfortunately, it is frustrating with the difficulty to find funding for climate stories.
Despite the lack of funds, making films brings the feeling of doing something. Perhaps also the power of working with these things is the relief that there are also others working with these things, the feeling of not being alone. It brings hope. This can sometimes carry energy and willingness to experiment with different ways to work despite lack of funds; we are planning to have filmmaking workshops for young people, and the actual film(s) may have different forms, lengths and screening places.
We have found that we now have this lust to engage others in the filmmaking process, to expand collaboration and co-working with more people, organizations and activists. I have always been very aware of my own position as a filmmaker: I have never wanted to make films about other people, but rather with them. There is a huge difference in how to approach people. Now we want to take this idea even further, and make cooperation to be even more essential in our filmmaking and see what that will give to the process. We also long for building stronger foundations in the context we are working in. Hoping that film can assist in creating communities, and perhaps help with tools to deal with feelings, emotions and thoughts of the uncertain future we are heading towards.