Twisted Roots by Saara Saarela and Where is Where? by Eija-Liisa Ahtila in Rotterdam

Twisted Roots (Väärät juuret) by Saara Saarela and Where is Where? (Missä on missä?) by Eija-Liisa Ahtila have been invited to the 39^th International Film Festival Rotterdam (January 27 - February 7, 2010).

For Twisted Roots, Rotterdam screening is the international premiere. Twisted Roots is part of the festival´s Bright Future section of mostly first and second features of talented young directors.

Where is Where? is screened as part of the festival´s Signals section After Victory, which includes 16 films about war and its effects on individuals and society.

Twisted Roots is a drama about traditions and legacy of the Kuura family. For the first time in years, the family is united under one roof by the father´s hereditary illness. During an unpredictable winter they search for balance between secrets and truths. The parents have to face themselves and their repressed fears. At the same time the children are trying to find their place in the family and understand their heritage.

Where is Where? is an experimental split screen film based based on an incident which happened during the struggle for independence in Algeria. As a reaction to the acts of violence committed by the French, two young Algerian boys murder their friend, a French boy of the same age. The film starts from the present day when the Death enters the house of a poet. She starts to investigate the incident and the past events gradually become interwoven with the present moment. A mist clears from the back garden of the house to reveal a bright coloured boat which has appeared in the swimming pool. In it sit Adel and Ismael.

Twisted Roots premiered in Finland last October. It is produced by Liisa Penttilä / Edith film Oy.

Where is Where? had its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival in January 2009, and has after that been screened at numerous film festivals in both Europe and North America. It is produced by Ilppo Pohjola / Kristallisilmä Oy and shot in Finland and Algeria in 2007.

International Film Festival Rotterdam website:
www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com