Discoveries from Finland World Cinema

We want to belong to families, but how can you define one? Maybe it is like a line drawn in water, ever moving and different in the next moment.

The word ‘litterator’ is Latin and means ‘one who teaches letters’. In Litterator, the fiercest opponents of blind transcribers are highly intelligent text-processing robots.

The 8mm film BODY ALL EYES is a requiem for ancient myths of flying through time and space. It grieves over a sky dominated by airplanes and technology with all-seeing eyes observing the earth – a privilege that once belonged only to gods and their weightless emissaries, oracles and messengers: the birds.

A film about Jazz and Helsinki Sketches of North is a black and white film inspired by the music of "Agatha" - a big band album composed by Kerkko Koskinen and played by UMO Jazz Orchestra and trumpeter Verneri Pohjola.

In Finland, euthanasia cannot be obtained under a doctor's supervision. While it can be done independently, Hilkka and Hertta are not prepared for any brutal action. Together, mother and daughter are planning a trip to Switzerland, a country where assisted suicide is completely legal. Although Hilkka has expressed her desire, embarking on the journey is much harder. Dark humor lightens the mood even though mother and daughter face a tough situation. There is also the pressing urgency, as for assisted suicide to be performed in Switzerland, Hilkka's fingers must be functional. As her body weakens and limbs slow, Hilkka and Hertta must make a difficult decision, the last great decision.

i've had quite a lot of apocalyptic fantasies

People in an apartment building are stalked by a most unlikely killer: a possessed tortoise.

The Finnish band PMMP in their farewell concert at the Helsinki Ice Hall, Finland on October 27th, 2013.

A documentary film that seeks the connection between different generations and where are one's roots. It is a personal story about a grandchild who is looking for a grandmother. And a story about a grandmother who never had the chance to become one.

Two stories about emptiness

An alien visits in suburban Finland

Kojamo is a kinetic story about moving against the current upon returning upstream.

Planet Muscleion and its beefcake inhabitants are in danger due to a menace from outer space. But the real threat is much closer to home: the low self-esteem of a beloved friend.

A documentary about the trips, hobbies, and lessons of the children in Merihaka, Helsinki, as they start their third year in the elementary school.

A documentary about what takes place in the yards and streets of Merihaka, Helsinki, after the school day is over.

Shot in Red Dead Redemption 2. The song is a modified version of Aphex Twin's #3.

A lonely man living in San Francisco dreams of love and success.

The latest addition to a series of experimental short films by Jarkko Räsänen is KULTAMA, in which he demonstrates the possibilities of misunderstanding found footage through his self-made algorithms. This fatherly-guarded, 7-minute-long hypersynthetic trip to the digital subconscious uses bits of video footage downloaded from YouTube to form an ecosystem of forms and colors before the viewer's eyes. This pilgrimage through the Information Amazon offers a granular view of the world, presenting information as paint in the spray can of a digital expressionist at an empty subway station. After listening to the archangelic soundtrack, viewers might wonder what a choir of bass players would sound like.

Two lovers meet again.

In the essay film Craving Earth, the filmmaker and visual artist Anna-Sofia Nylund tries to explain the indescribable feeling one can have towards nature and its beauty.

The main characters want to be alone but random events force them to meet each other's eyes.

Documentary short from Continuation war produced by Finnish armed forces.

A dreamlike story of a chair, a woman and a house.

Four friends in their early twenties are discussing about the big issues in life while the entrance examinations for The Theater Academy are approaching.

A real rarity in silent cinema with an appearance by the father of the Kiljunen books, Jalmari Finne, as a film director. A funny little story about the teacher and students of Norssi and the dogs of the city of Helsinki. Young Joel Rinne as a teacher in his first role on the big screen.

On the relationship between human and nature and our coexistence with other species. Various sonic stories intertwine and resonate revealing the off-screen events happening around the non-human protagonists.

After Mieko Shiomi, Passing Music for a Tree, 1964: Pass by a tree or let some object pass by a tree, but each time differently.

Blank cut-out address forms slide into the frame. A broken pair of sunglasses, small notebooks, a volunteer work journal – a mix of personal effects and junk is revealed piece by piece, sketching out their owner, a child from the 1940s. What can objects tell us about the past and what are the limits of that knowledge? The film is an outline of a new form merging art and scholarship, focusing on the history of material culture, our notion of history and on the ways we use the past.

An accurate description of the Finnish Waffen-SS volunteers from 1941 to 1943. Recruited in spring 1941, trained in Germany and all the way to the Caucasus. Narrated by a young TK man, front radio commentator Veikko Itkonen (1919-1990).

Planet Muscleion and its beefcake inhabitants are in danger due to a menace from outer space. But the real threat is much closer to home: the low self-esteem of a beloved friend.

A documentary about the trips, hobbies, and lessons of the children in Merihaka, Helsinki, as they start their third year in the elementary school.

A documentary about what takes place in the yards and streets of Merihaka, Helsinki, after the school day is over.

Shot in Red Dead Redemption 2. The song is a modified version of Aphex Twin's #3.

A lonely man living in San Francisco dreams of love and success.

The latest addition to a series of experimental short films by Jarkko Räsänen is KULTAMA, in which he demonstrates the possibilities of misunderstanding found footage through his self-made algorithms. This fatherly-guarded, 7-minute-long hypersynthetic trip to the digital subconscious uses bits of video footage downloaded from YouTube to form an ecosystem of forms and colors before the viewer's eyes. This pilgrimage through the Information Amazon offers a granular view of the world, presenting information as paint in the spray can of a digital expressionist at an empty subway station. After listening to the archangelic soundtrack, viewers might wonder what a choir of bass players would sound like.

Two lovers meet again.

Documentary short from Continuation war produced by Finnish armed forces.

A dreamlike story of a chair, a woman and a house.

On the relationship between human and nature and our coexistence with other species. Various sonic stories intertwine and resonate revealing the off-screen events happening around the non-human protagonists.

Blank cut-out address forms slide into the frame. A broken pair of sunglasses, small notebooks, a volunteer work journal – a mix of personal effects and junk is revealed piece by piece, sketching out their owner, a child from the 1940s. What can objects tell us about the past and what are the limits of that knowledge? The film is an outline of a new form merging art and scholarship, focusing on the history of material culture, our notion of history and on the ways we use the past.

An accurate description of the Finnish Waffen-SS volunteers from 1941 to 1943. Recruited in spring 1941, trained in Germany and all the way to the Caucasus. Narrated by a young TK man, front radio commentator Veikko Itkonen (1919-1990).

In 2019, an iron meteorite was filed to dust, mixed with curd, and fed to 36 people. Flis’s uterus was rife with tumours soon after. From the first poke of a finger to WebMD and x-rays, every diagnostic tool comes up short. From meteorite falls to trans experiences in the medical system, it’s a documentary that slips into sci-fi – and it’s not always clear which part is which.

Welcome to the garden. The late summer sun has ripened the fruits in the apple trees. The landscape is reminiscent of Eden. The summery apple orchard creates the background for the BDSM sessions of the five main characters and their meditations on the meaning of being kinky. Trust, play, and joy are at the centre of the documentary. A playmate can transform from a tea party table to a ride in an instant. New uses are found for the shovel, familiar from the sandbox. The viewer gets close to something truly intimate. You can almost feel the touch on your skin. The camera’s gaze is gentle and observant. The red latex shines in the light of the setting sun.

A small snapshot of a young man struggling with depression and low self-esteem whose calendar is stuck in the gloomiest month of the year.

A single butterfly causes a chain reaction in this animated narrative about the absence of destiny. The story also contains a life-saving miracle that is left unnoticed by the person who was saved.