Documentary director Keijo Skippari worked on the film about artist-professor Olavi Lanu for more than two years. The documentary also presents the personality and private life of the beloved cultural influencer.
– My wife said that Olli moved in with us when I started doing this. I’m really happy with the result, I consider this my best work, says Skippari, an award-winning documentary maker and Vice President of the Päijät-Häme Film Centre.
Lanu was a well-known artist, but he was also involved in cultural life in many other ways. He was a city councillor and was active in several associations, among other things.
The documentary sheds light not only on Lanu’s extensive career, but also on the kind of person he was.
– The documentary shows a calm and even gentle Lanu. Of course, he had his temper, but in Lahti he was a loved person, says Skippari.
– In addition to these, I did more than twenty interviews where I heard from Lanu’s friends, artists, former students and cultural influencers, Skippari lists.
International career started in Venice
Olavi Lanu and his work were known in Lahti long before his breakthrough as an environmental artist. He taught photography at school and at various colleges. The international breakthrough happened in 1978 at the Venice Biennale.
In Finland, Lanu’s works can be found especially in Lahti, where they can be seen, among other things, in the artist’s life’s work, the Lanu park.
Lanu’s work can be found in several collections around the world. He was awarded the title of artist professor in 1989 and the Pro Finlandia medal in 1998.