Seamstress

Sep 25, 2015

1h 33m

★ 7.2

So great is to die and live for happiness and freedom

Overview

A documentary film about Martta Koskinen, the last executed woman in Finland during the war in 1943. Martta was a Seamstress who lived in Helsinki during the Second World War. She was one of the post-civil war (in 1918) generation for whom the war had meant a disappointment in the system and failure in unity of the Finnish nation. The legacy of the civil war had left systems of persecution in place for those with socialist ideals. Martta and her fellow revolutionaries were determined to continue the resistance movement although they knew that at worst it could cost their lives. Martta was imprisoned twice before she was shot. She was an idealist, whose seemingly harmless, naive beliefs in peace and justice were the most dangerous traits a person could have at the time.

Genres

Documentary

Production Companies

Illume

Seamstress Trailers

No Trailers found.

Cast

Herself (Archive footage)

Martta Koskinen

Martta Koskinen (voice)

Vera Kiiskinen

Narrator (voice)

Pekka Milonoff

Hertta Kuusinen (voice)

Laura Birn

Mirjam Koskinen (voice)

Elena Leeve

Elvi Sinervo (voice)

Vilma Melasniemi

EK:n / Valpon etsivä (voice)

Taisto Oksanen

EK:n / Valpon etsivä (voice)

Antti Seppänen

EK:n / Valpon etsivä (voice)

Antti Virmavirta

Elma Wahlsten (voice)

Merja Ritola

Emil Soinala (voice)

Seppo Louhi

Hj. A. Paunu (voice)

Nicholas Wancke

Kelet is a twentysomething black trans woman, whose greatest dream is to be on the cover of Vogue magazine. For the Finnish-born and Manchester-raised Kelet, such models as Naomi Campbell and Iman served as role models giving her strength – and during the darkest times, kept her alive. After coming out, then 19-year-old Kelet was cut off from her family and she moved back to Finland on her own.

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