Virpi Suutari documentary filmmaker and Director of the DocPoint Festival

How does being a documentary-maker affect your direction of the festival ? I try to overcome my ‘prejudices’ in order to recognize interesting works, even if I don’t necessarily like them. I have to be very aware of my double position. Actually, for me directing this festival has a selfish element, because it allows me as a filmmaker to discover interesting approaches !

What are the main characteristics of the Finnish documentary scene at the moment ? Recent Finnish documentaries have been extremely varied – from more classical formats to animated films, and also several Michael Moore-style works. This diversity is a positive thing, as in the past there was a certain amount of ‘formatting’. I once heard someone say “life is too short for Finnish documentaries”. There was, and still is, a certain characteristic for slow, fairly silent films. It is a good feature though, it tells something about the Finnish people and their self-ironic sense of humour.

Any personal highlights of DocPoint 2008 ? The Austria programme, and in particular Ulrich Seidl. As a filmmaker I have been impressed by Austrian documentaries. Also the Iranian film section. Works from both countries question stylistic and fictional elements within documentary, although Iran is more poetic and Austria tends towards a more constructed, staged approach. Finally, the live ‘Nanook of the North’ concert accompanied by one of our most famous violinists will be very special.

What are your hopes and expectations for the future ? The festival is 7 years old, and has grown to a good proportion, but obviously we will aim to become more well-known internationally. I hope also that we can manage to stick to an idealistic artistic approach, and avoid falling into TV documentary as many other festivals are tending to do now.

Jude Lister