From the film-maker:

The painting's composition was the main influence for the 'dream' shot in my film of the lake, which for me was a central image in the film. It was also the influence for the lighting scheme, in the use of lines of light, ostensibly cast by the sun through the blinds in the main room, referring to the lines of surf crossing the lake in the painting. For me the painting's theme is that of the fantasy of the Finnish legend and the reality of the lake co-existing in a naturalist setting. I tried to reflect this through the crossing of the main character into a surreal realm where he doesn't understand what is happening around him. Also the use of the photographs in the film, which hint at a story untold in the actual piece, reflects the untold story from the Kalevala (the Finnish national epic) in the painting.

Nic Wassell

A piece inspired by Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Lake Keitele,1905