BLOOD BERRIES: JUSTICE FOR THAI BERRY PICKERS – Kino Caisa: I Don’t Dream of Labour

What dreams are sold to us as a means of freedom? And what happens when these dreams shatter?

The I Don’t Dream of Labour programme explores how capitalism and neoliberalism affect the way we think and conceive of work. It is split into four evenings of short films which all consider different aspects of capitalism’s human toll.

Since 2005, Thai workers have formed the backbone of the Finnish berry industry. Prospective workers often go into debt to be able to afford travel to Finland, advertised as a good way to make a living and support their families.

The reality is a far cry from it.

Berry pickers work excruciatingly long hours, live in poorly equipped accommodation without enough food, and often find that after the deductions from their wages, they are left with barely any money at the end of their contracts.

In September 2025, a court in Finland sentenced the chief executive of a Finnish berry company to three years in prison for human trafficking. Finland has also changed immigration and work permit rules to prevent foreign workers from being brought in on tourist visas to carry out seasonal berry picking. Still, many berry pickers have not received adequate compensation and continue in the fight for justice.

BLOOD BERRIES / Hathairat Phaholtap, 2025 Thailand. 50 minutes.
The Isaan Record organisation spent over three years following the fate of Isaan people who traveled with hope to work as wild berry pickers in the forests of Finland and Sweden. This documentary follows their journey and sheds light on human trafficking, corruption and exploitation in the berry industry.

The screening is followed by a discussion on the film and current developments of the campaign. We are joined by Junya Yimprasert and Paavo Teittinen. The panel takes places in English and is facilitated by Adalmiina Erkkola

Junya Yimprasert has spent nearly four decades defending the rights of workers the system discards — from garment factories in Thailand to construction sites in Singapore to frozen berry camps above the Arctic Circle. She is the founder of the Thai Labour Campaign, the Network Against Exploitation and Trafficking of Migrant Workers, and the Migrant Workers Union of Thailand, and has been living in political exile in Finland since 2010 after confronting Thailand’s military dictatorship. Since 2009, Junya has assisted over 3,000 Thai berry pickers in pursuing justice and helped file over 700 human trafficking cases with Finnish and Swedish authorities.

Paavo Teittinen is a multi-award-winning Finnish journalist known for his long-form investigations into human trafficking and labour exploitation. He is the author of Pitkä vuoro, a Finlandia Prize–winning non-fiction book that exposes systemic exploitation and human trafficking within Finnish society. Teittinen’s reporting has played a significant role in uncovering hidden structures of abuse and advancing public debate on exploitation in Finland.

The programme is curated and introduced by Adalmiina Erkkola, a cultural producer interested in the political potential of film and sound. Their curatorial practice is built on interrogating memories and archives, and building capacities to imagine the future anew. They currently host the No Man’s Land radio show at IDA Helsinki, where they platform music by women and nonbinary artists.