On March 18, see Mother of Snow Cranes, Finnish director Iiris Härmä’s stirring documentary following a strong, adventurous ornithologist whose journey from love to tragedy to revolution earned her the title “The Mother of Snow Cranes.” Director and producer Iiris Härmä and cinematographer Visa Koiso-Kanttila will be present for a film talk following the screening.
“Ellen, why are you staying here?” Iiris Härmä’s film begins with this question before following the remarkable life of Ellen Vuosalo (1931–2025), who was born in Toronto to Finnish immigrants, studied zoology in the United States, and married an Iranian man. Ellen’s situation changed drastically after she decided to travel to Iran to seek custody of her children following her divorce. What started as a personal journey brought her to the wetlands of northern Iran where she stayed for five decades, dedicating her life to studying and protecting the last flocks of the critically endangered Siberian crane.
This heartfelt and inspiring documentary captures a lifetime of conservation, blending scientific research with community involvement and challenging cultural and gender norms along the way. It’s a gentle portrait of one woman’s unwavering commitment to wildlife and a reflection on resilience, belonging, and connections across nature, humanity, and cultural borders.
Photos: Visa Koiso-Kanttila
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
M.A. IIRIS HÄRMÄ is a documentary film director renowned for her artistically high-quality films that depict their characters in a gentle and humanistic way. She has produced and directed several awardwinning short and feature-length documentaries that have acclaimed international reputation at various film festivals and distributed around the world. Her films explore topics like gender equality, youth, identity, social justice, human rights, animal extinction, minorities, environmental challenges, indigenous people and values of new technologies.
M.A. VISA VISA KOISO-KANTTILA is a producer based in Helsinki, Finland. He established production company Guerilla Films in 1999 and has been active in producing documentary films since then. He is also an award-winning film director and cinematographer.