The Church Media Foundation Award at the 52nd Tampere Film Festival (March 9-13, 2022) goes to Susanna Helke for the film "Armotonta menoa – Hoivatyön lauluja" (Ruthless Times - Songs for Care, Finland, 2022).
Ruthless times - Songs for Care is a darkly humorous documentary song film about the state of caring for the elderly in Finland, care workers and those who experience it in the nursing market. Through documentary episodes and songs, the film tells about the everyday life of an elderly person in crisis. Elina Vitkala, deputy member of the foundation's board, acted as the judge for the award of the Church Media Foundation.
In Vitkala's opinion, the criteria for the Church Media Foundation's award describe this year's award winner well: "...the film awakens the viewer's awareness of the invisible reality of life, it deals with Christian responsibility in today's society, it takes into account the love of one's neighbor, hope, respect for human dignity and human rights, people in a discriminated position and under pressure, striving for justice, joint responsibility, peace and reconciliation..."
The award of the Church Media Foundation is 1,500 €. It is distributed to a domestic film at a time and is awarded to the film's director. The criteria for awarding the prize emphasize the technical and artistic high quality of the films, as well as themes that invite viewers to reflect on Christian values.