Kerttu Matinpuro, Anni Mikkonen

Focus-Zoom

Camera – roll!

Once upon a time in a small town in North Karelia, Daniju, Muna, Ahmed, Basel, Marwan, Jamal, Kerttu, and Anni decided to turn their own stories into a film. And so, in the summer of 2025, the cameras started rolling in Lieksa.

At times serious and at others gently humorous, Focus-Zoom intertwines the personal stories of asylum seekers with the process of making a documentary and the friendships that blossom along the way. The documentary was created as a result of cooperation between the North Karelian Film Association and the Lieksa Somali Family Association, once again proving that movie magic can happen anywhere – especially in Lieksa.

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Joining us at the screening, directors Kerttu Matinpuro and Anni Mikkonen, along with some of the film’s key participants will be talking about the documentary and answering questions from the audience.