EILA BABUSHKA – THE PAST IS A FOREIGN COUNTRY

_{Available worldwide except Switzerland}

Awards

• Special Prize National Competition, over 30 min - Tampere Film Festival

Synopsis

Kim moved to Finland as a 5-year-old. Now he is about to hear his family’s story for the first time, at the table of his grandmother. Eila was born in Ingria in 1938, as a Finn in the Soviet Union. In 1941 Ingrian Finns were evactuated to Finland for agricultural work, then back again, and in the 1990’s the family moved to Finland as Ingrian returnees. But the family falls silent on difficult issues, and the shooting of Kim’s father in Moscow is still a taboo in the family.

The documentary is almost finished, when Russia invades Ukraine in February 2022. Again, women and children flee the war. Surprisingly, when talking about the war and the reasons behind it, Kim and Eila take very different stands. Eila Babushka is a documentary film about Ingrian Finn returnees, rootlessness and the affect of Soviet propaganda.

About the directors

Matti Elo

Matti Elo is a Finnish director and filmmaker, he is known for his films LAIVA ON LASTATTU (1960), NUORTEN TANSSIHETKI (1960) and VIENO KEKKONEN SHOW (1963). His latest documentary EILA BABUSHKA – THE PAST IS A FOREIGN COUNTRY (2024), was selected at the Tampere IFF.