Mother of Snow Cranes
Over 90 years old, Ellen Vuosalo has lived many lives. First as a Finnish immigrant in Canada, then as an American citizen and student of zoology at UCLA and finally as a Mother of Cranes in Iran. Iiris Härmä's Mother of Snow Cranes tells the story of an incredible woman's extraordinary life, from love to tragedy to revolution. It is a story about nature, humanity, and the role of women in both the West and Iranian culture. Or as Ellen herself says "What a life! What a world!"
Credits and Cast
Producers: Visa Koiso-Kanttila/ Guerilla Films
Director: Iiris Härmä
Cinematography: Visa Koiso-Kanttila
Editing: Tuuli Kuittinen
Sound Editor: Janne Laine
Composer: Per Störby Jutbring
Cast: Ellen Vuosalo
Director’s Biography - Iiris Härmä
Iiris Härmä is an experienced and multi-awarded director and producer. Her over 20 years of filmmaking has taken her around the world from the Japanese humanoid robot laboratories to the lands of indigenous people in Kenya. Her artistically high-quality films have dealt with current and timeless topics such as youth marginalization, loneliness, gender equality, development cooperation, the age of artificial intelligence and nature conservation. Her films have acclaimed international reputation at various film festivals (IDFA, Hotdocs, Nordisk Panorama etc.) and have been broadcasted on numerous TV-channels (ARTE, NHK, Netflix etc.) around the world. Härmä is a co-founder of Guerilla Films production company.