Statement by LUX Audience Award 2024 finalist Anna HINTD, director of Smoke Sauna Sisterhood. Parliament and the European Film Academy award the LUX prize to help the distribution of European films with significant artistic merit that reflect cultural diversity in Europe and beyond.

statement

LUX European Audience Film Award 2024 (T)

HINTS, Anna (EE)

LUX Audience Award 2024 - Statements by finalists: Anna HINTS, director of Smoke Sauna Sisterhood

Cutaways, exterior shots Cinema Galeries, Brussels, 07/12/2023 (4 shots)

SOUNDBITE (English), Anna HINTS, Director of Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, I come from smoke sauna culture. So in a way, this film was possible because I'm like a voice from within the community. And in my case, it was my granny who introduced me to the rich heritage. And when I think about where the film is coming from, then actually the impulse comes from the time when I was 11 and, my grandfather had just died and his body was in that farmhouse, and we went to smoke sauna, before the funeral, it was my granny, my aunt, my niece and their granny revealed that grandfather had actually cheated on him, on her, and, lived with another woman several years. And then my granny revealed, I released all these emotions connected with that.

SOUNDBITE (English), Anna HINTS, Director of Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, There was I remember pain, there was anger. There was also a lot of shame. And, we were there witnessing that. And, once we went out, you know, from Smoke Sauna, I felt that granny had made peace with grandfather, so that next day we could bury him in peace. And this was the time when I realized that, okay, on this earth, there is a safe space where absolutely all your emotions, all your experiences can be shared, can be heard. And when we give power to our voice, when we give power to our story, and when we give space, for listening other stories, then there is huge healing power in that.

SOUNDBITE (English), Anna HINTS, Director of Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, And, the concrete idea for the feeling came when I was in a monastery with my mother, and I was doing a silence retreat, and I really started to contemplate on voice, you know, the importance of voice and, your silence in the retreat, but, you know, noticing all the voices inside us and then questioning, where is my voice? How to understand that this is my voice? And, am I really speaking on my voice or am I silencing it down? So I wanted to make the film, giving the safe space of smoke sauna. That has been like a sanctuary, for centuries. Especially for women. Because women used to give birth, there was dead and healing and like this place to hear their voices.

SOUNDBITE (English), Anna HINTS, Director of Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, And now, when I'm traveling with this film, throughout the world and there's like, really so much like opening of hearts in the in the audiences, I'm thinking that maybe tells about the deep need and the lack of this kind of safe spaces when where we can really be heard and seen. So we have this kind of deep need to be connected with each other. But, at the same time, often we are scared of the vulnerability. But this is the only way how to connect and and smoke Sauna , like, this kind of safe space where each voice has a space where people really listen to each other and you don't need to agree on each other. You can, you know, choose different parties. You can, pray to different gods, but we can come together and connect with humanity through heart level with each other. And I think this is so important to remember that.

SOUNDBITE (English), Anna HINTS, Director of Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, And now when I got this news that I have nominated one of the five films and I found my name next to Kurismaki , it was like. Oh, I cannot describe it. It was like making me breathless. It was very emotional. I was crying and, it gives me and I hope to so many others there maybe who are, you know, contemplating whether to live or die or whether to follow their dreams that you can follow your dream. And one day he couldn't find yourself among, you know, these people and filmmakers who have inspired you. It means a lot. It means this, that, life after trauma is possible. Dreaming after trauma is possible. We should never give up hope.

SOUNDBITE (English), Anna HINTS, Director of Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, We need women, we need more diversity. There is still a way to go. I was, right now had the privilege to be in the European Parliament House, and, I was seeing all the pictures there of presidents. I want to see more women. I want to see more diversity. I want to see also non-binary people, you know, when we talk about film industry, there is still a way to go, like, especially, cinematographers, you know, sound, operators. There is still a way to go.

SOUNDBITE (English), Anna HINTS, Director of Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, We need diversity. We need representation. And now elections are coming. So we should all go out to vote and and vote for, diversity also.

Cutaways, Anna HINTS, director of Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, Cinema Galeries, Brussels, 07/12/2023 (8 shots)