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Marika's Film Career Was Not Only a Shooting Star The best thing about acting is maybe eating sausages, ponders Marika Vilkki. At first she keeps a straight face but then starts to chuckle with the others. The mere mention of sausage seems to amuse the residents of the Alasentie group home in Hämeenkyrö. – Sausage is a kind of an inside joke. The whole thing was actually started by Lassi Autio, one of our principal actors. He has always loved sausage and wanted to make a film of it, tells Sirpa Tammelin-Pikkanen, the residence advisor in charge of the group home. Last year the mentally disabled residents of the group home took part in the mentally handicapped people's film festival Shooting Stars (Tähdenlentoja) with a short film Metsästys (Hunting). In the film a woman played by Marika Vilkki tells her husband to go and get some food to fill the totally empty fridge. The husband acted by Lassi Autio obeys, takes his gun and goes hunting. As a catch he ends up bringing a big piece of sausage. The film won the second prize in the three-minute category. Cuddles and Sausage The group home's film this year, My Darling, goes back to the time before Metsästys. In the film the couple find each other and sausage has, again, a special role in the process. – We are going to make a complete sausage trilogy. Lassi has already started planning a scene for the third part: it has something to do with ice fishing sausages, laughs Sirpa and says it's a pity that the man behind the ideas is not present at the time of the interview. He is such a terrific guy. Made for performing. We have thought of sending him to the Finnish Air Guitar Playing Championship. The young man really is good with words and rhythm, Sirpa praises. Humour seems to be the carrying force in the group home. Every little while one of the residents or the nurses says something funny and the others start laughing. This does not mean that serious things, such as bad feelings, illness and death, would not also be discussed, Sirpa says. The conversation at the coffee table moves fluently from the death of a resident's friend to keeping an own flea market. Everything is discussed openly.
Kisses Only in the Role The Alasentie group home in Hämeenkyrö is the oldest home of ASPA, Asumispalvelusäätiö (housing service foundation). The group home has been in use since 1997. There are four men and two women living in Alasentie. The residents will probably live here their whole life. Only our young men Lassi and Marko Metsähonkala may someday move somewhere near here, Sirpa explains. – Well, if I first find a girlfriend. I do have some pen friends but I haven't really remembered to write, which is a pity, says the 28-year-old Marko. All six residents are now enthusiastic filmmakers, but at first few them had the courage to come in front of the camera. Even Marko cancelled his role in Metsästys at the last minute. Now he laughs at this shyness. Marika has now understood the idea of acting. Last year she would not really hug or kiss her opposing actor, smiles Sirpa, next to the blushing Marika.
TEXT: Tuulia Rautio |
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Festival News 2002 festnews@uta.fi |