JUST ANIMALS
2022
Documentary
A personal documentary that portrays Saila, an activist for animal rights, facing her own limits when she realizes that the utopia she has always fought for will never be as she imagined.
More than ten years ago Saila confessed openly that she was part of the activist group that secretly filmed hundreds of animal farms. Saila’s sister Mai has chosen a different path, politics, and Saila fears her biggest activist idol might become a part of the machinery they have been fighting against together. Saila spent three years of her youth in a legal battle where the prosecutor sought her a jail sentence and the farmers wanted extreme compensation. The leading activist, Kristo, saw Saila as the next hope for the movement. However, Saila does not know how to prove and convince people of the suffering of animals anymore. She needs to save herself and find out what kind of an activist and person she is.
A documentary film. Duration 82 minutes. Premiere 3/2022. Content rating: Over 16 years.
FESTIVALS
HotDocs, Canada, 2022
CPH:DOX, Denmark, 2022
Turku Animated Film Festival PRO, 2020
DocForward Talent Workshop, Nordisk Panorama, 2020
PITCHED AT
Forum, Nordisk Panorama, 2020
Baltic Sea Docs Forum, 2020
Finnish Film Affair, 2020
SCREENWRITER, DIRECTOR
Saila Kivelä & Vesa Kuosmanen
PRODUCER
Elli Toivoniemi, Juha Löppönen & Venla Hellstedt / Tuffi Films
IMPACT PRODUCER
Sini Hormio
CINEMATOGRAPHER
Heini Mäntylä
EDITOR
Jussi Sandhu & Anniina Kauttonen
SOUND DESIGNER
Aleksi Tegel
COMPOSER
Karin Mäkiranta
MAKE-UP DESIGNER
Kata Launonen
FUNDING
Finnish Film Foundation, AVEK, Yle, Kone Foundation
DOMESTIC DISTRIBUTION
Aurora Studios
INTERNATIONAL SALES
The Yellow Affair