2024 | Finland | Short

Je m’appelle Mariia

  • Ukrainian, French, English - 26 mins
  • Director | Juho Reinikainen
  • Writer | -
  • Producer | Hadi Nikzad

STATUS: Released

This film is currently not available.   

On the eve of her 18th birthday, Mariia has a feeling of déjà vu as she and her mother, Liubov, travel from their snowy village in Finland to France—only ten months earlier, they had made the difficult choice to flee from Ukraine to Finland after bombing in Kyiv came desperately close to their home. Studying in Paris has long been a dream of Mariia’s, one her mother is determined to help her realize, so they are relocating again. Director Juho Reinikainen combines a poetic and tender observation with a delicate score to good effect. Mother and daughter explore the city and settle Mariia into her dorm, but ultimately, they must part ways. As they say their goodbyes at the train station, we see that it isn’t just one life beginning anew but two.

Birthday Village Refugees Family
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