FAST FORWARD 2023 / Projections:
13.12.2023 / 20:30 / CIC “Budo Tomović” – Dodest / Podgorica
Tia Kuovo / Sweden, Finland / 2023 / 114’
Director: Tia Kuovo
Screenplay: Tia Kouvo
Editor: Okku Nuutilainen
Music: Sveinung Nygaard
Cinematography: Jesse Jalonen
Production: Aamu Filmcompany, Film i Väst, Vilda Bomben Film
Producers: Emilia Haukka, Jussi Rantamäki
Starring: Ria Kataja, Elina Knihtilä, Leena Uotila
SYNOPSIS
Family Time is a study on family life; on disconnection and intergenerational patterns. The film tells the story of a Finnish family gathering for a festive Christmas dinner. Like every year, middle-aged sisters Suzana and Helena visit their parents at the family home. But, as is the case every year, grandpa Lasse drinks too much, grandma Ella has to take care of everyone, the kids are overwhelmed, and the sisters argue over the smallest things. There is no holiday season joy or euphoria, only an abundance of misery in the air, with none of the people sitting at the table enjoying the company of the rest of the family. This debut by the director seeks answers to questions with which we can all identify: are we all destined to remain stuck in the same family patterns, and can we ever change and finally become a happy family?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tia Kouvo was born in 1987 in Lahti, Finland. She is a director and screenwriter based in Gothenburg, with a background in social psychology. She graduated from Valand Academy in 2018. Tia has developed her distinct, observational style in her previous films, among them award-winning Chat with me (2014), We Retired People (2018) and Hollywood (2022). As was the case with Family Time, she has dealt with familiar themes also in her previous films, making sharp studies of the everyday that move between the tragic and the humorous.
FESTIVALS AND AWARDS
- Seoul International Women’s Film Festival 2023 (South Korea) – Award for the Best movie
- Brussels International Film Festival 2023 (BRIFF) (Belgium) – Jury Award
- Transilvania International Film Festival 2023 (Romania) – Special Jury Award
- Valencia International Film Festival – Cinema Jove 2023 (Spain) – Award for the Best Cinematography; Nominne – Best Film
- Berlin International Film Festival 2023 (Germany) – Nominee – Encounters Award and GWFF Best First Feature Award
- Reykkjavik International Film Festival 2023 (Iceland)