Sustainable Naturecultures and Multispecies Future Symposium

Venue: University of Lapland, PUOTI

Definition of Forest (2024) is an experimental short film that that begins with the forest’s official definition and then unravels it. The film’s unruly voiceovers each narrate the forest from their own perspective. Together with the sensory images and forest sounds, they lead the viewer down conflicting paths, refusing to offer a singular, cohesive perspective or a definitive portrayal of the forest.

The film explores the shared existence of humans and forests, raising questions without simple answers: what do we sense in a dark, shadowy forest – or a familiar, benevolent one? How can we share corporeal existence with trees? And is there any way to reach the nonhuman nature of a forest?

Although not a scientific film, Definition of Forest could be described as a short film inspired by research. In particular, the script has been influenced by environmental humanities and theories challenging human-centered ideas of agency. The forest is not a passive background but active matter, full of ongoing processes and tangled entanglements with the human world. Definition of Forest seeks how to present such a forest through audiovisual narration.

Rather than recording and representing reality, Definition of Forest emerges from the fragmentary, subjective experiences of being in a forest. We have no access to a forest outside our own perspective, nor to all that remains unknown or incomprehensible. Reality—both in the making of the film and in each viewing—unfolds as a continuous process of becoming.

The film is funded by the Kone Foundation.

Duration: 13min 37s

Film crew:
Screenwriter, director: Kristiina Koskinen
Choreographer: Favela Vera Ortiz
Dancer: Elina Valtonen
Cinematographer: Heini Mäntylä
Sound designer: Heta-Maria Pyhäjärvi
Editor: Elizabeth Aaltonen

More information: Kristiina.koskinen@ulapland.fi

Press photos

Press photos: Kristiina Koskinen, Definition of Forest (2024), short film.