Local filmmaker Albert Karvonen will be presenting his newest film next week.
Entitled The Forest is Calling, the film will be featured at the next Science Outreach presentation on Apr. 9 beginning at 7 p.m. in the Governing Council Chambers at Athabasca University.
“It’s a form of self indulgence. I feel, me personally, I get a high by taking a picture of an orchid with an insect on it or a woodpecker drumming,” said Karvonen. “As I have been filming nature for years, I’ve realized how important, how beautiful, how intricate it is.”
The 55-minute long high-definition film shows the northern boreal forests of Finland and Alberta to their greatest advantage. At 84 – after surviving a stroke – Karvonen decided to make one last film to showcase the forest he loves.
“The forest is more than trees; it’s the soil itself, it’s the water, it’s the air and all the living things within it. Everything is connected,” he said.
Karvonen grew up surrounded by the forest in northeastern Alberta. Although he taught and was a principal in Edmonton public schools, he always was drawn to “the wild.” After 23 years, he left teaching and decided to be an independent filmmaker.
Since then he’s produced over 120 movies, television and multimedia titles and – unlike many independent filmmakers – he’s met some commercial success.
He won the David Billington Award for outstanding wildlife films in 1991 and was awarded the Alberta Centennial medal in 2005.
His wife, Pirkko, has worked in film and television alongside him.
She’s been a cameraperson, photographer, videographer, writer and producer. She earned a nomination in 2002 at the Alberta Film and Television Awards for her documentary – The People of Sointula.
The pair produced, funded and – in the case of Albert – filmed and directed their latest film that showcases the forests of Finland and Alberta, its animals and its destruction.
It also shows what people can do to protect the boreal forests for future generations.
