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

Credits

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