Short Films

An Autobiography Rabobesto Hypatia Passio

An Autobiography

2016
Short fiction, 35 min.
Written & directed by Mari Mantela.

SYNOPSIS

Anja is a woman who knows everything about cars but nothing of herself.  When the boss upstairs sends a young trainee to replace her, Anja is forced to face the fact – her life as she knows it is coming to an end.

DIRECTOR´S STATEMENT

Death of a woman´s working identity in an underground rental garage.

A warm humoured story of a working heroine, a queen and a martyr, who has to encounter the void in order to survive.

  • BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT/AUDIENCE AWARD* 27TH MADRID FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Madrid, Spain)
  • BEST SHORT* *AUDIENCE AWARD* MIDDLEBURY NEW FILMMAKERS FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Middlebury, USA)
  • BEST EUROPEAN FILM* REALE FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Milan, Italy)
  • BEST ACTRESS/CRIS AF ENEHIELM* MONTELUPO FIORENTINO INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Montelupo Fiorentino, Italy)
  • BEST OF THE FEST: SHORT FILM* LA INDIE FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Los Angeles, California)
  • PLATINUM REMI AWARD // 51ST WORLDFEST-HOUSTON (Houston, Texas, USA)
  • BROOKLYN FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, New York City NY, USA)June 11, 2017
  • FEMALE EYE FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Toronto, Canada)June 25, 2017
  • PALM SPRINGS SHORTFEST (Official Selection, Palm Springs CA, USA)June 26, 2017
  • BEST SHORT:AUDIENCE AWARD* MIDDLEBURY NEW FILMMAKERS FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Middlebury, USA) August 27, 2017
  • LOVE & ANARCHY – HELSINKI INT’L FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Helsinki, Finland)September 24, 2017
  • NORDIC INT’L FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, New York City, NY, USA)October 14, 2017
  • NORTHERN WAVE INT’L FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Reykjavik, Iceland)October 29, 2017
  • BEST EUROPEAN FILM* REALE FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Milan, Italy) November 3, 2017
  • LA CABINA INT’L FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Valencia, Spain) November 26, 2017
  • 2nd THE BUDDHA INT’L FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Pune, Maharashtra, India)June 9, 2018
  • HEARTLAND´S INDY SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA) July 26-29, 2018
  • CAPITAL FILMMAKERS FESTIVAL MADRID (Official Selection, Madrid, Spain) September 2018
  • ARLINGTON INT’L FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Watertown, Massachusetts, USA) November 1st-14th, 2018
  • PLATINUM REMI AWARD * // 51ST WORLDFEST-HOUSTON (Houston, Texas, USA) March 2018
  • BEST ACTRESS/CRIS AF ENEHIELM* MONTELUPO FIORENTINO INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Montelupo Fiorentino, Italy) September 28-30, 2018
  • NOMINATION: BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE SHORT* 13TH ORLANDO FILM FESTIVAL (Official selection, Orlando, FL, USA) October 18 – 25, 2018.
  • 10TH CAPE TOWN INT’L FILM MARKET & FESTIVAL (Capetown, South Africa) 9 – 19, October.
  • NOMINATION: BEST ENSEMBLE* 14TH LA FEMME INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Official selection, Beverly Hills, CA, USA) 11 – 14 October, 2018.
  • BEST OF THE FEST: SHORT FILM* LA INDIE FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Los Angeles, California) September 14-16 2018
  • BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT: AUDIENCE AWARD* 27TH MADRID FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Madrid, Spain) October 11-23, 2018
  • 5th SANFORD FILM FESTIVAL (Official selection, Sanford, USA) October 16 – 21
  • 2ND GREAT MESSAGE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Official selection, Pune, Maharashtra, India) September 22 – 23, 2018.
  • 31st VIRGINIA FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Charlotte, VA, USA) November 1st-4th 2018
  • NOMINATION: BEST SHORT FILM & BEST LEADING ACTRESS * 5TH TAMPA BAY UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Tampa, FL, USA) December 6-9, 2018
  • CAPITAL FILMMAKERS FESTIVAL BERLIN (Finalist, Official selection) December 8 -10TH 2018
  • 3RD CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Official selection, India) December 28 – 30th, 2018
  • NOMINATION: BEST COMEDY* 13th ANNUAL BEAUFORT INT’L FILM FESTIVAL (Official selection, Beaufort, USA.) February 19 – 24TH 2019
  • BEST SHORT FILM & BEST LEADING ACTRESS* 1st INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL OF SRIGANGANAGAR INDIA (Official Selection, Sriganganagar, India) January 19th-23rd 2019.
  • 1st Female Filmmakers Festival Berlin (Official Selection, Berlin, Germany) June 13-17, 2019.
  • 4th RAPIDLION – THE SOUTH AFRICAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Johannesburg, South Africa) March 1st -10th, 2019.
  • 2nd Milkbusch International Short Film Festival (Official Selection, Cape Town, South Africa) 31.03.2019
  • European Short Films in America / Czech Center, New York, December 5, 2017
    WINDOW TO EUROPE FILM SERIES: Each month the Window to Europe series presents one extraordinary European film which explores the complexity and diversity of cinematic voices from across the continent.
  • Finnish Film Days in Budapest, 2019
    (The Finnish Culture Institute of Budapest together with Finnish Film Foundation)
  • Replika Educational Theater Center, Bucharest, Romania, March & June 2019

RABOBESTO – Or How I Saved a Monster

2021
Short fiction, 15 min.
Written & directed by Mari Mantela.

SYNOPSIS

On the verge of her marital life, a young woman makes a journey into the night to find out why she has lost her heartbeat and turned golden.

DIRECTOR´S STATEMENT

The story of RABOBESTO – Or How I Saved a Monster deals with coping in an adult life molded by the past with an alcoholic parent.

The film is inspired by an actual interview with the main actress Alina Tomnikov and the story contains autobiographical elements of Tomnikov´s life.

  • Main prize at Helsinki International Film Festival Love & Anarchy 2022
  • The Risto Jarva Prize 2022
  • Regard Saguenay Festival 2022 / In competition for :
    Grand Prize
    Public Award – Official Competition
    Quebec Critic Award AQCC
    Jury Prize

HYPATIA

In post production.
Short fiction, 25 min.
Written & directed by Mari Mantela.

SYNOPSIS

An anomaly named Hypatia causes disturbance in time and gravity.

Two persons are allowed to observe it at a time.

The man believes in miracles, the woman in evolution.

Can Hypatia give them more time together?

DIRECTOR´S STATEMENT

Science fiction has a long tradition when depicting the psychological and mental condition of a human being.

In HYPATIA I want to portray the wandering of an old married couple as they are facing the final stage of their relationship. 

They are on the verge of experiencing the wife´s  Alzheimer´s disease.

Passio / Love and Anarchy Film Festival trailer

2012
Official Trailer
Written & directed by Mari Mantela.