Sawandi Groskind
Directing
Biography
Sawandi Groskind was born in Memphis, TN, USA, and raised in Jakobstad (Pietarsaari), Finland. He began making films and experimental shorts in 2003 while attending art school and has since written and directed a number of award-winning shorts that have been shown at renowned festivals around the world. His work often features non-linear storytelling and frequently explores themes of loss, desire, and family history. Working outside Finland’s commercial film industry, Sawandi has actively promoted experimental and hybrid narrative filmmaking both locally and internationally.
Known For
Siblings Enzo and Magda have drifted apart, and in an attempt to reconnect, Magda invites her brother on a trip to Helsinki. Over a weekend, the sibling duo encounters a series of eccentric characters and confronts situations that necessitate conversations about life, art and existence. Memories blend with the present, and dreams and reality merge for the two travelers adrift in the atmospheric city of Helsinki.
XXL
An elderly crime investigator has reached the end of her career. Shortly after stepping down, she encounters the Devil, who has appeared in the city and begun working as a police photographer. During a series of walks together, a warmth develops between them. Over the course of their conversations, the Devil reveals he needs her help to end his own existence.
Staubwelt
On a remote island, a lost woman seeks shelter on a rocky beach. After a security guard demolishes her makeshift hut, she is once again forced into uncertainty. She finds refuge with a young man who longs to visit his estranged mother.
Where to Land
A big sinkhole emerges in a small town ahead of the local elections. Masoud, a local politician in the midst of his election campaign, picks up his brother from a mental health clinic.
How to Approach a Giant Hole
A truck driver and his daughter navigate rural life in the 60s while helping a struggling family, and decades later, a once-deceased child reappears in a hospital in Helsinki.
Skarpnabba
Enzo has written a poem as a gift for his father. Inspired by a dream from the night before, the poem paints a haunting and vivid picture of the family’s current predicament.