Battle for the City


Turku is the oldest city in Finland. Its old distinguished buildings were destroyed in the modern fervour – businessmen, decision makers and architects were all involved. Why were they unable to treasure history? The film does not only deal with the past but follows the present-day activists and squatters too: why do they decide to take over buildings? To whom does the built space belong and who makes the decisions over it? The questions raised in film are typical not only in Turku, but also elsewhere in Europe and beyond.



Jouko Aaltonen


Jouko Aaltonen is a documentary director, producer, Doctor of Arts. Born in 1956 in Turku, Finland. In 1975–76 he studied social sciences in Turku University and in 1977–84 in the University of Art and Design Helsinki (UIAH) in Film Department where he graduated in 1984 as a director. In 1984–87 he worked as a special planner in the audiovisual department of Development Center on State Administration making educational programs. 1987–89 he was director-producer in production company AVSET directing and producing commercial video programs. Since 1990 Alltonen has specialized to documentary film production, working mainly in production company Illume Ltd. He is one of the leading documentary filmmakers in Finland and has won several awards around the world.
Aaltonen has been working in a variety of film branches: as director, production manager, producer, script writer and film editor. He has been involved in ten feature film productions (as assistant director, production manager etc.). He has also directed (and in most cases also scripted) over 90 educational or corporative video programs. Aaltonen made his PhD about documentary film at the University on Art and Design Helsinki in 2006. Besides his thesis, The Prisoners of reality in the Realm of Freedom, he has published two books about script writing.