Synopsis:
EXISTENCE II focuses on bees, proposing a gaze filled with curiosity and compassion. The bees seen in the hand processed film died due to winter loss.
Existence is an experimental short film trilogy dedicated to insects and life. The title refers to the alarming decline in insect populations.
Director`s statement:
Existence II deals with pollinators, and in particular honeybees (Apis mellifera).
The work aims to approach bees with curiosity and compassion. It reflects on the way we look at insects and the emotions associated with them. The bees seen in the film have died as a result of winter losses and were collected in the spring from Lehti's own beehives. No animals were harmed. The number of bee mass extinctions around the world has increased and the exact single cause is not yet known.
Existence II was originally made on 16 mm film and uses alternative ecological techniques. The material was shot with an electric-free spring-driven camera, the film developer was made by hand, and the work was processed by exposing film with a flashlight and painting by hand.
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Existence II pyrkii lähestymään mehiläisiä uteliaisuudella ja myötätunnolla. Käsin kehitetyllä filmillä nähtävät mehiläiset ovat menehtyneet talvitappioiden seurauksena.
Existence on hyönteisille ja elämälle omistettu kokeellinen lyhytelokuvatrilogia, jonka taustalla ovat huolestuttavat tutkimustulokset käynnissä olevasta hyönteiskadosta.
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Technical info:
Existence II
Premiere 2025
Dur. 05.00
4:3
colour
stereo
shooting format: hand processed 16mm film
Screening copies: DCP, ProRes, mp4
Crew:
Leena Lehti -filmmaker, producer
Ville Väisänen -sound designer
Marja Skaffari -actor
Supported by:
Taiteen edistämiskeskus - Arts Promotion Centre, Finland
AVEK Audiovisual Centre, Finland
Atelier 105, Light Cone Paris, France
