by Anushka Meenakshi & Iswar Srikumar (India 2017)

A musical portrait of a community of rice cultivators in a village close to the India-Myanmar border. While working in the fields in small cooperative groups, the men and women sing together – songs that follow the seasons. Screened at IDFA and Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. Nominated for Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2018.

“One thing that really worked for us is that both Per and Iikka were acutely aware of what we wanted and they helped us get the best version of that. Having two mentors working on the film is an excellent idea. Sometimes they agree and sometimes they don’t, but all of this helps create more and more possibilities for us to play with as story tellers. Ideas and suggestions are one thing, but to be able to give them with a sense of humour and with a lot of love is of unbelievable help when one is questioning and doubting everything, which is pretty much what happens while editing. These people love documentaries, and it shows.
Creating a unique platform such as this, keeping it affordable and helping with suggestions on how to fundraise, putting us in touch with people, all of this has made it one of the most fulfilling experiences for us.”
Anushka Meenakshi & Iswar Srikumar, directors.

by Hawa Essuman, Anjali Nayar (Liberia, Kenya 2017)

Anjali Nayar and Hawa Essuman profile the life of Liberian activist Silas Siakor, a tireless crusader against illegal logging and a symbol of resistance for a new generation. Premiere at Toronto Film Festival 2017.

“We worked with Joelle Alexis and Iikka Vehkalahti on the documentary at a very critical stage in the edit. I can say with absolute certainty they contributed significantly to turning the film around. Their proposed solutions, big and small, brought clarity to the storytelling. We had got to a point in the edit where we had run out of ideas on how to improve the film. With their input, the edit gained momentum and the storytelling leaped forward. They are film rescuers! I am a big fan!”
Steven Markovitz, producer.

by Rati Oneli (Georgia, US 2017)

In his documentary debut, director Rati Oneli provides fascinating insights into a living environment in a ghost mining town Chiatura in western Georgia. It´s bleak industrial ruins appear at once colossal and like a film set. In a city where the sun never shines, it’s only the inhabitants that generate warmth. Premiere at Berlinale Forum 2017 and nominated for the Glasshütte Original Documentary Award. Heart of Sarajevo Best Documentary at Sarajevo Film Festival.

by Jason O´Hara (Canada 2017)

Five years the filmmaker followed what is happening to the indigenous people and inhabitants of favelas in Rio De Janeiro when World Cup and Olympic Games were changing the city. Premiere at Hot Docs 2017. Magnus Isacsson Award at RIDM – Rencontres Internationales du Documentaire de Montréal 2017.

“We were lost at sea when we turned to Rough Cut Service – so much footage shot over so many years and a drawn out editing process had muffled and blinkered our ability to see our material objectively as a cinematic experience. Iikka wrangled with us through finding a new structure – suggesting a completely radical approach that we trusted and flew with. And yet, at no point was it an imposition – the few things we wanted to keep, we kept, and otherwise were blown away at how much the new ideas, the new input, not only shaved off all the unnecessary junk and helped clear up confusions, it also gave us tons of fresh insights on how to tell our story, re-energized our own creative approach to the material.
Yael came in next and offered a subtler eye on the rhythms, the pacing, the filmic experience, bringing the scenes from rushed, pedestrian assemblies to living, breathing scenes. Such an incredibly valuable service!”
Katharine Asals, editor.

by Chang-Young Moon (South Korea 2017)

Shot during five years the film follows a young Rinpoche, who is living in Ladakh and waiting for the monks to come from Kham, China to take him to the monastery of his previous life. Completed in 2017. Grand Prix in Berlinale Generation. Best Feature Documentary and Best Editing Moscow International Documentary Film Festival DOKer.

by Hank Levine (Brazil, Germany 2017)

In six different countries shot documentary film on refugees, their lives and thoughts. Screened at São Paulo International Film Festival and Reykjavik International Film Festival.