Subject: environmental studies

Avatar: The Way of Water

Ten years have passed since Jake Sully joined the Na’vi clan on the planet Pandora. Nowadays, he is married to Neytiri, and together they have explored the underwater realms of Pandora with their children Neteyam, Lo’ak, and their adopted daughter Kirina. The elder Na’vi, Tonowari, closely oversees tranquility amidst everything.

Although time has passed since the war, humans have not forgotten their bitterness and still seek to exploit Pandora’s natural resources. General Ardmore, who has risen to command the humans, ruthlessly cloned the consciousness of Miles Quaritch and merged it with his own Avatar body. Together, they plan a massive strike against Pandora to completely destroy the Na’vi people.

Now, Jake must join forces with Neytiri and the Na’vi army to protect their home planet.

The film was awarded an Oscar for its outstanding visual effects. The movie utilized motion-capture technology, followed by computer-generated animation.

Bambi

The movie is based on Felix Salten’s novel of the same name, “Bambi: A Life in the Woods.” It tells the coming-of-age story and adventures of a young white-tailed deer named Bambi in the forest.

The film begins with Bambi’s birth. He meets other forest animals, such as a skunk, a rabbit, and a wise owl. Bambi learns about the challenges and dangers of life in the forest, e.g. hunting.

The movie follows Bambi’s growth into adulthood and the challenges he faces. Bambi also falls in love with another young deer, and their friendship and life together become a central part of the story.

However, life in the forest is not always easy. A tragic event deeply affects Bambi, and he must learn to cope with loss and difficulties. Nevertheless, Bambi finds strength and courage as he takes on the role of the forest’s king.

Bambi is a touching film that explores the beauty of nature and its cycles, friendship, and the diversity of life. It is one of Disney’s most iconic and beloved classics, leaving a lasting impact on the world of animation and touching generations around the globe.

Jaws

Jaws is an iconic thriller film from 1975 directed by Steven Spielberg. The story takes place on Amity Island, a popular summer vacation spot, where brutal shark attacks begin to occur. Police Chief Martin Brody tries to protect the residents, but the city management wants to cover up the threat due to tourism. Together with marine biologist Matt Hooper and local shark resident Quint, they go on a shark hunting expedition to stop a great white shark.

The film combines suspense, horror and drama. Killer sharks feature memorable scenes such as shark attacks and scary moments in the water. The film achieved immense popularity and had a significant impact on the film industry and popular culture. It elevated the shark to a fearsome figure and created an iconic atmosphere that continues to inspire and terrify viewers today.

Killer Shark won three Oscars. Steven Spielberg won the Oscar for Best Director, Robert L. Hoyt and Roger Heman Jr. won the Oscar for Best Sound Recording, and John Williams won the Oscar for Best Original Score.

Things We Do for Love (Kaikella rakkaudella)

The film tells about the different forms of love and what a person is willing to do for it. The story takes place in the landscapes of Finnish Lapland, Norwegian Lapland, and the Arctic Ocean. Is love something you consider first, or coincidence?

Toivo Vaarala is a photographer who meets Ansa on a photography trip and they fall in love. Ansa’s dangerous, threatening, and ex-husband Ismo, who has a history of murder, enters the picture, but for some reason he becomes friends with Toivo. Ansa and Ismo have two children together. The film also describes their challenging family relationships with their parents.

Le Havre

A small African boy ends up in the French port city of Le Havre in a shipping container full of other refugees. The boy manages to escape and while hiding from the authorities, he meets a shoe polisher who wants to help the boy get to his destination: London to his mother. At the same time, the shoe polisher’s wife is diagnosed with a serious illness.

The film won a remarkable six Jussi awards: Best Film, Best Direction, Best Supporting Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

Puss in Boots returns when he realizes that he has already used up eight of the cats’ nine lives.

However, getting his lives back is unsafe because Puss in Boots has only one life left. He decides to ask his former opponent, Kitty Softpaw, for help. A Spanish dog, Perro, also joins him on his journey. To regain Puss in Boots’ lives, the trio must head towards the Black Forest and the Wishing Star.

The journey is challenged by Puss in Boots being chased by the bounty hunter Big Bad Wolf and the Three Bears Mafia, who are after the same Wishing Star.

A Summer by the River (Kuningasjätkä)

A Summer by the River (Kuningasjätkä) takes place in Eastern Finland in the 1950s around the events of log swimming. The father in the story loses his wife – and only father and son remain. The father (Tenho) goes with his son (Simon) for the summer to prune trees, where the work and the workers are merciless. The film beautifully depicts Finland’s summer nature, and there is also a bit of love involved when Tenho finds a new interesting woman.

The film won a fantastic five Jussi awards in the following categories: Film of the Year, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Direction, and Best Screenplay.

Beasts of the Southern Wild

The film is magical realism, where the main character is a 6-year-old girl named Hushpuppy. She lives with her father Wink in Bathtub, a dingy swamp in southern Louisiana, USA, where life is primitive and where people live in harmony with nature.

The commune of Bathtub is flooding because the continental ice is melting and this is causing the release of ancient beasts. Winki’s health is also deteriorating at the same time, so it’s time for 6-year-old Hushpuppy to face these challenges and survive them with honor.

Koulukino’s learning materials deal with magical realism, the Hushpuppy character, editing, and montage, and include film interpretation tasks. The materials are aimed at middle schools and secondary education.

Super Furball

A young girl named Emilia gets superpowers from being bitten by her pet guinea pig, which come in handy when the herrings of the Baltic Sea rise up in rebellion to save the sea from pollution. The film is based on the book series “Emilia’s diaries” and more specifically on the book “Supermarsu saves the herrings”, written by Paula Noronen. The book in question was nominated for the Finlandia junior prize in 2009.

The educational material of the school cinema deals with superheroes, writing a diary, bullying at school, social relations in the class, the Baltic Sea and its species, and conservation. The learning material is aimed at primary schools and primary education.

Monsters, Inc.

Monsters live in their own town, where they generate electricity for the town by scaring children. Monsters get to the children by going through dimension gates. The most famous monsters in scaring children are two monsters called Mike and Sullivan. One day they meet an extraordinary child who has accidentally got lost in monster town and find out that there is a much more effective way of generating electricity than scaring: making children laugh. The film’s topic of generating electricity is indeed very topical. A fun touch in the movie is that monster think children are toxic and dangerous, so that even touching them could be fatal.

The film has won an Oscar in 2002 for the best score for the song “If I Didn’t Have You”.