"Traditionally in Finnish films alcoholic characters have been portrayed as middle-aged men. There are no stories about young women who deal with substance abuse.There have been no comedies about this subject that are light and deal with forgiveness, acceptance, and love. The characters in “Aurora” are not victims."

Writer-director Miia Tervo interviewed by Laura Berger

The Academy Awards will be presented one week from Sunday. The discussion concerning the lack of female nominees in the director category is ongoing, with some calling for a boycott of the ceremony. While I think the work is always more important than any industry honors, let's take a look at a country like Finland to assess the state of gender parity in film awards.

Writer-director Miia Tervo had two movies released in 2019. "Aurora", the subject of this week's featured review, and "Force of Habit", a collaborative effort from seven of Finland's female filmmakers. When the Jussi Awards are presented in Helsinki on March 20th, there is a strong chance that women will win in just about every category. Four of the films nominated for Best Picture were directed by women. "Aurora" was nominated for 13 awards, including Tervo for Best Director and Best Screenplay. "Force of Habit" was also nominated in the Best Director and Best Screenplay categories.

There are obviously huge differences between the Nordic film industry and Hollywood. It is a subject I'll continue to explore on the Drama Movies site.


Here's the latest article from the Drama Movies site at BellaOnline.com.

Aurora (2019) Film Review
Writer-director Miia Tervo tackles serious issues, alcoholism and immigration, with humor and grace in her debut feature, "Aurora".

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art306805.asp

Please visit dramamovies.bellaonline.com for even more great content about Drama Movies.


Angela K. Peterson, Drama Movies Editor
http://dramamovies.bellaonline.com

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