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The Spirit of the Löyly

In an ancient forest, Nuuksio, Marcello experiences the healing spirit of Löyly, with the aid of sauna healer, Laura. In the heart of an ancient forest, where towering trees stood like wise old guardians, Marcello embarked on a journey of healing and rejuvenation. Nüuksio, with its ethereal beauty and tranquility, provided the perfect setting for this transformative experience where Marcello experienced the wisdom and traditions of Löyly, connecting with his inner self and finding a deeper appreciation for the beauty and interconnectedness of nature.

  • Greg M. Moga
    Executive Producer
    The End (2024), Arthur (2011), Safe Enough (2023), The Artist Toolbox (2011)
  • Samuel Aarnio
    Producer
    Sauna Channel
  • Petri Luukainen
    Director
    The Gamer (2023), Game of Minds (2023), Voiko tätä syödä? (2021) Voiko tätä syödä? (2021), Just Boys (2018)
  • Sampo Johansson
    Cinematographers
    Sauna Channel (2024), Tappajan näköinen mies (2016), Other Girls (2015), I'll Do Fine (2014)
  • Otso Reunanen
    Cinematographers
    Every Tom, Dick, and Urpo (2023), Vuosi al-Holissa (2020), Black Ice (2007)
  • Marcello Trombin
    Key Cast
    "Guest"
    Imagine You & Me (2016)
  • Laura Foon
    Key Cast
    "Sauna Healer"
  • Altti Sjögren
    Editor
    Diletantti (2023), Näin tehtiin Tunturin tarina (2021), Tammisunnuntai 1918 (2017) Finlandia! Again! (2016)
  • Sunda Kelepa Maria Holm-Mortensen John Greany
    Original Music
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short, Web / New Media
  • Genres:
    Nature, Culture, Lifestyle, creative documentary
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 42 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 17, 2024
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    Finland
  • Language:
    English, Finnish
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Distribution Information
  • Bray's Run Productions
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: Internet
Director Biography - Petri Luukainen

Petri Luukkainen (1984) is a director known for his high concept documentaries, often revolving around environment and identity. Petri's work reflects his "internet background" as a teenager, when he and his friends made low-resolution videos and GIF films for their own websites for the whole world to see in the late 1990s. From there, Petri started his career at the age of 17, directing everything from car commercials to a friend's wedding video - until he discovered documentary filmmaking.

His debut documentary My Stuff (2013) was a hit, playing in theaters worldwide and making the whole shabang and being transformed into a reality TV format Stripped (USA, UK, Germany..) and a fictional remake 100 Things (2018) by Warner Bros Pictures & Pantaleo. This led Petri to work around the world on independent productions or as a commissioned director for channels such as ARTE, BBC, DR, NRK, RUV, SVT, VIAPLAY, YLE....

In between long-term projects, Petri has participated in various video, photography and art projects out of personal interest or need to make a living. Commissioned clients include Time Magazine, BBC World Service, Wien Museum MUSA and Universal Music to name a few for the sake of name dropping. Currently Petri is based back in Finland.

SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY
‣ Game of Minds 2023 (doc series YLE, ARTE. napafilms, CORSO film)
‣ The Gamer 2023 (doc feature napafilms, CORSO film)
‣ Would You Eat This 2021 (doc series YLE, DR, NRK. RUV, SVT co-production)
‣ FOMO SHORT 2018 (series YLE Gimmeyawallet)
‣ NHL GLOBAL SERIES 2018 (Viaplay, Yellow)
‣ Just Boys 2018 (BBC Original series)
‣ In the Belly of the City 2017 (doc series 1 episode ARTE Stefilm)
‣ Road to Rio 2016 (series YLE Yellow)
‣ Mission in Helsinki 2015 (series YLE Yellow)
‣ Live at We Jazz 2014 (series Youtube)
‣ The Climate Game 2013 (doc short Unikino)
‣ My Stuff 2013 (doc feature Unikino)

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

As a documentary filmmaker, my work is drawn to the tension between those who stand before the lens and the image that emerges from that exchange. It is a dialogue—an exploration of how the subject wishes to be seen and how the camera translates that desire.

I was invited to capture the essence of Laura Foon’s sauna healing practice, a tradition with many layers of meaning, both visible and invisible. Some of those traditions that, as a Finn, are deeply familiar to me, though some remained unknown until this encounter.

In this short film, I sought to explore her style and her own wish of how her practice might be documented. When I asked Laura about the essence of her work, what core element of the healing experience within the sauna could be captured, her response was both concrete and elusive: she had never seen the spirit of the "Lyöly"—that mysterious energy of the sauna, and the mundane water that evaporates from rocks —depicted visually or otherwise.

Taking into account that the filming could only take place just a few hours, during a single session between Laura and a “client”, this led us to try and find, if possible, a visual language to express a tradition that exists on the boundary between the physical and the spiritual (that exists according to Laura).