DOCS Margit Lillak

A Story about Roosi

Margit Lillak Becoming Roosi by Margit Lillak received a Radio Télévision Suisse award at Visions du Réel VdR–Industry pitch. Following up from The Circle (2019), director Margit Lillak follows the teenage girl Roosi, who grew up in an eco-commune as the daughter of an activist.

By Filipp Kruusvall Photos by Virge Viertek and from Roosi’s private collection

The protagonist of the fi lmstruggles to cope with climate grief and guilt, torn between becoming an activist herself and fi nding her own life path through creativity. Lillak and Karolina Veetamm are producing for Tiny Desk Productions, and the fi lm is expected to be released in November 2024.

Margit, how did the Becoming Roosi project start, and where did you meet the main character of your fi lm? I met the protagonist Roosi in 2014, so already 8 years ago, when I was shooting my last feature-length documentary, The Circle. She was 8 then, and her mother was the frontwoman of the newly founded eco-village.

Roosi was taken to the commune against her will. She rebelled against the free-fl ow hippy lifestyle and education throughout the 5 years she stayed there.

From the first moment she walked into my sight, I knew that there was something extraordinary about this child, the striking way she expressed her truth, and saw things from a very clear perspective. I never really related to her as a child, but more as an equal, a charismatic personality. We established a friendship over the 5 years of shooting in the eco-village. After that, we saw less of each other, but as I am friends with her parents, we ended up hanging out more. Just last autumn, when I was visiting them, I almost accidentally filmed a scene with Roosi - she

It is not another fi lm about a young activist; she is rather at a crossroads, what to do with her life, how to pursue her creative talents.

is now 15 - and her mother. It hit me right then and there that here is a great story unrolling in front of my lens. The fact that I have all that juicy archive of her from the commune actually landed a bit later, and I realized that I had gold in my hands.

How unique is such a story, and what does it say about the challenges and choices of the new generation? What makes it unique is that through such an outspoken and original character like Roosi, we see something essential about the Z-generation. How hard it is for them to fi nd their place and peace of mind at this time.

It is not another fi lm about a young activist; she is rather at a crossroads, what to do with her life, how to pursue her creative talents. At the same time, her heritage is a diff erent burden from her peers. Her parents never made a secret about the state our planet since she was six. She has been burdened by climate grief and guilt since a very early age, and sometimes envies her peers who can enjoy the careless ecstasy of youth. Roosi is torn between her dividuals with deep, unhealed wounds land in a commune, it often can get out of hand.

I am mainly interested in the social and collective side. Still, I struggle with how to preserve a special “held space” in everyday life. But overall, I don’t think we have a choice but to turn to a communal living of some sort if we want to survive.

eco-consciousness and her wish to pursue a creative career as a performative artist, struggling with the dilemma of whether she should follow her infl uential activist mother’s footsteps or break free.

What is your own attitude towards eco-communities, and what life principles do you follow? When I made my last fi lm about the eco-village, I was massively infl uenced by their principles, trying to consume less. Mainly, what stuck with me was growing my own food in the summer, and composting organic waste all year round. I could never throw a banana peel into regular waste; I would rather slip it under a bush somewhere. And I learnt to grow my veggies on my own compost, which gives me the satisfaction of being part of the circulation of elements.

But this journey with the community also demolished many illusions regarding groups and community life. Often people with mental health issues are drawn to communities, but actually, the community is not a therapist; this has to be done on an individual basis. And if in-

What is the current stage of the project, and what are your ambitions? I was part of the Esodoc (European Social Documentary) workshop for nine months with the project. I entered with a very diff erent idea, but it led me to Becoming Roosi. I am really grateful for all the amazing support from tutors and colleagues.

And now we just pitched at Visions du Reel among the 16 projects. This was also a fantastic experience, with the way it was organized. We received a lot of very supportive and positive feedback from the industry, a prize from Swiss TV RTS, a pre-buy commitment of the fi lm, and possibly a series for younger audiences. The RTS award is attributed to the project chosen to broadcast on their auteur documentary slot.

We are working on the possible co-production with Germany and also France. We hope to develop the feature for an adult audience and the shorter series version for the youth, in collaboration with SWR German broadcaster and Arte. Our goal is to get wider distribution in diff erent channels for both formats across the globe. EF