 |
| Mika Koskinen was planning a film about China being the growing giant of green energy. His plans changed when he encountered Stora Enso in southern China. It spawned a documet: Red Forest Hotel. 87min, Finland, 2011. |
Red Forest Hotel is a documentary film made by the Finnish cameraman and documentary director Mika Koskinen.
It tells an almost thriller-like true story of one man’s attempt to make a film of China’s efforts to prevent climate change, which instead turns into a revealing review of the actions of the world’s second largest forestry corporation, Stora Enso, in southern China.
When I started to film this documentary, it only took five minutes after we had met with lawyer Yang before our car was surrounded. Four to five cars full of officials approached us in a friendly manner, and said that they were in cooperation with Stora Enso and would like to help me, and that the only truth that I would be getting about the area would come straight from their mouths,Koskinen said.
Radio86 interviewed director Mika Koskinen, who told us what surprising and disconcerting things happened during the making of Red Forest Hotel.
Even the word ‘Finland’ scares us,a local farmer says.
He is from a village, where people have been assaulted for defending their land against the forest industry. It seems that Finland’s image is suffering – as are human rights.
This started an almost thriller-like chain of events, during which Koskinen was incessantly followed and apparently also wire tapped. Koskinen stayed in a hotel by the name of Red Forest Hotel, where he was practically secluded. The hotel also gave the film its name.
This is a very appropriate name for the documentary and for its theme.
The hotel is a very big part of this film. Almost half of the film happens in the hotel. The situation I ended up in was quite Kafkaesque and absurd.They are the masters do it, perhaps, how to turn friends as enemies.
Inga kommentarer:
Skicka en kommentar