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FILMS ABOUT FINNISH AMERICA

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"Co-operatively yours"

documentary film, 2017, 72 minutes

In June 2017 I completed my second feature documentary film in cooperation with the Finnish-American Heritage Center at Finlandia University. The film focuses on Settlers Co-op Store in Bruce Crossing, Michigan as it tells the story of the Finnish-American Cooperative Movement from the start in the early 1900's. Finnish immigrants formed the largest network of consumer's cooperatives in the U.S.!

"Co-operatively Yours" broadcast nationally on YLE in Finland in 2018 and 2019, and won Best Feature Documentary at the 2018 Eclipse Awards in Grand Rapids, MI.
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Sirkka, past and present

biographical documentary, 2019, 57 minutes

99-year-old Sirkka Tuomi Holm was born in 1920, the same week that the 19th Amendment was passed, giving women in the U.S. the right to vote. Born to radical Finnish immigrants, Sirkka and her parents were active in the Finnish Socialist Halls where Sirkka found her passion for theater. They lived in Virginia, Minnesota, Lanesville, Massachusetts, Warren, Ohio and Baltimore, Maryland. Sirkka retired to Francestown, New Hampshire.

Sirkka has led an extraordinary life. In her 99 years, her life experiences are like a history book. She’s a life-long advocate for women’s rights, peace, justice and Finnish-American history. Values instilled by her parents at a young age as she stood on the strike lines. Sirkka served overseas during World War II as a WAC and was one of the first women to step foot on the shores of Normandy. She testified in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee during the McCarthy years, accused of being a communist. She turned to writing when life got tough and is a founder of the Finnish American Reporter, where she writes a monthly article called "Past and Present".

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