2024 FESTIVALApr 10-20, 2024Lansing, MI
  • Carnival Pilgrims
    Carnival Pilgrims

Carnival Pilgrims

2020 / Finland / 88 Minutes / Mika Mattila

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Film Synopsis

Nomad caravans traversing boundless wastelands… Solemn pilgrim dragging a heavy cross through Via Dolorosa… Japanese couple in a hysterical frenzy at the sight of Santa Claus… Crowds struggling for a perfect selfie in front of Mona Lisa… Backpackers whispering in awe at the sight of an ancient tribal ritual…
Another day is about to begin in the theme park called the Planet Earth. Here adventures are safe, myths real, paradises earthly and the tourist is always the hero. We’ve all been there. Every modern person travels and we all know what tourism is all about… or do we? We are so busy dreaming about where, when & how, that we rarely ask ourselves: Why? What did all those trips do to me in the end? Why the restless desire to rest somewhere far away? Carnival Pilgrims is a cinematic reflection on the phenomena of global tourism and the perpetual desire to be somewhere else, an exploration on the essence of the tourist experience. Film takes audience on a cinematic tour through some of the most iconic pilgrimage sites of the contemporary world, taking a hard look at these carousels of endless fun and ever elusive enlightenment.