Miia Tervo is an award-winning director whose credits include “The Seal,” “The Little Snow Animal,” and “Clumsy Little Acts of Tenderness.” “Aurora” is her debut feature.

“Aurora” premiered at the 2019 SXSW Film Festival on March 10.

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

MT: It is a romantic comedy with some darkness in it. Aurora is a young woman who struggles with being poor. She inherited ways of solving problems with addictive substances such as alcohol and drugs. She is escaping love and doesn’t want to be loved because it means pain to her.

This film portrays her journey towards learning to receive love. Outside she is a free spirit, but inside she is quite lost. More than anything else, I wanted to be honest.

Traditionally in Finnish films alcoholic characters have been portrayed as middle-aged men. There are no stories about young women who deal with substance abuse.

There have been no comedies about this subject that are light and deal with forgiveness, acceptance, and love. The characters in “Aurora” are not victims.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

MT: This whole landscape of Finnish alcoholics is something I know very well — it’s my family’s sickness. It’s a part of our culture, but also something that changes the way you love. Alcoholism affects more than just one person; it affects 20 people around you. But I know there is more to it. You can get better and you can live with it.

W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?

MT: That they get a sense of remembering who they are and who they love. I’d like them to still have faith in humanity — sounds like a big goal, but if I am honest, that’s my dream.

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

MT: To shoot it in 25 days. It was like a race. To maintain [my] artistic touch and vision and still keep it going like a train. To create moments which feel like reality and poetry when you have 30 minutes to shoot some takes or even scenes.

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.

MT: It was funded by Finnish Film Foundation, Yle, which is the Finnish national broadcaster, and Nordisk Film, the distributor.

I kept my focus and did my best. I developed the story and script with many people and just let go and trusted the process.

W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?

MT: I started by writing poetry and painting — then I realized at some point that I could combine poetry and painting in film. My grandmother was a genius storyteller and told me that I can do whatever I want, which was good because we were poor and the normal route in life would have been to work in a factory — which I also tried — or to be a nurse.

I saw Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Mirror” in my 20s and my consciousness kinda exploded. I just felt this urge to learn filmmaking. I am still learning. John Landis’ “Coming to America” must have also made some impact on me, too. I guess you can see some influences from both of those films in “Aurora.”

W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?

MT: Best advice: “Relax and follow your gut feeling.”

Worst advice: “Pretend that you like someone who may be important, even if you don’t.” I cannot kiss any asses.

W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?

MT: Just think what a male director would do and then do that better.

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

MT: Sally Potter’s “Orlando.” It just blew my mind when I was 15 years old. The magic of Tilda Swinton, poetic moments in the ice, and Boy George in the end — it was amazing.

W&H: It’s been a little over a year since the reckoning in Hollywood and the global film industry began. What differences have you noticed since the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements launched?

MT: Men and women are really careful in what they say or do. It’s good that we question the way we are, especially because misogyny can be also found in the subconscious and conscious actions of women, too. It is so profoundly good that setting boundaries is now easier. And as a boss lady, I think now I am a bit better heard. But there is a lot to do still. Maybe one day I will just be called a director instead of a female director.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue91wuHsLIY