References

Body of Stories

Markku Kaikkonen

Director, Special Music Centre Resonaari
Point is a dance movie which tells about obstacles, how to conquer them and how new obstacles emerge after the ones that were already won. The movie wakes up and forces to take stand, it challenges to look at your own values and attitude. Not often a ten minute movie is so effective. Point, directed by Pirjo Ojala, is! It has been on honour to make music for this statement.

Heidi Gronauer

Director, ESoDoc / ZeLIG School for Documentary – Italy
I have known Pirjo Ojala in the EU-Media-Training project ESoDoc European Social Documentary, where I'm head of Project. During the three one-week-sessions of ESoDoc Pirjo Ojala developed the creative documentary project “Burning Voices”, where I was particularly involved as her tutor. I think Pirjo and her project are exceptional. The film treats an important issue with a unique artistic expressions for better reach the public. Pirjo's project is unique in style and has a very strong international potential.

Tiina Rantanen

Regional Director, Victim Support, Southwest Finland Regional Office
I was involved in the research phase of Pirjo Ojala’s movie ”Three words about love”. I was interviewed as a specialist about violence and sexual violence in close relationships. The film delves into the topic exceptionally well and in a rather short time, the story manages to bring up many different layers. No ready-made solutions are offered and the viewer is offered space to think about the ending from their own perspective.

We have used the film in the seminars and training events of Victim Support Finland. Also some of our partner organizations, such as The Federation of Mother and Child Homes and Shelters and the Finnish Federation of Settlement Houses have borrowed the movie for their own training events. The feedback about the film has been positive every time and it has encouraged a lot of discussion. This shows that the topic has been treated thoughtfully and the handling of a distressful topic has succeeded. The movie does not give in for underlining the topic or for too brutal or demonstrative violence. The movie manages to create an atmosphere and roles, which every viewer can easily relate to from their own point of view.

Pentti Halonen

Lecturer in screenwriting, TeM, MA, MFA
Pirjo Ojala makes strong movies about weak people, who try to find their own strength. Depth, entertainment, pain and irony are combined in her works. She defends the weak, exposes injustices and makes us all a little better, a little more moral, a little more human.