Wheels of Freedom

Produced by Pohjola Films, Aleksi Puranen's debut film is a brilliantly unique road movie, where Ville Jaaranto, 37, sets out on an seemingly impossible journey across Europe in an electric wheelchair. Being alive and having a life mean two different things to Ville, and his burning passion for life resonates strongly through the movie screen. The film is firmly rooted in the present, vividly portraying the reality of being a disabled person in an unequal world. Pursuing dreams requires hard work and perseverance, but Ville's story and example inspire to set one’s goals to the level of one’s dreams, since the best parts are the people and experiences we encounter along the way, not just the destination.

Laura Laaksonen