Cleonice Comino and Jens Hoffmann

Jens Hoffmann and Cleonice Comino
9 to 5 – Days in Porn, a film in the L&A theme Under Bare Skin, represents the everyday work and the people behind the multimillion porn business. It is a critical look into the porn industry. Director Jens Hoffmann and producer Cleonice Comino are visiting Helsiki IFF. In addition to being the director of the documentary, Hoffmann has also cinematographed it and written the screenplay.

Jens Hoffmann and Cleonice Camino in Helsinki 17th to 21st of Sep

Ben Kasulke

Richard Lefebvre, Ben Kasulke, Sonya Walker and Sean Donovan

Lynn Shelton’s comedy Humpday and Richard Lefebvre’s Calamari Union remake are both cinematographed by the same man, Ben Kasulke. Kasulke is known from his work with director Guy Maddin, whose film My Winnipeg is in the festival programme. Kasulke has cinematographed Maddin's visually effective Brand Upon the Brain! Kasulke will visit the festival together with Calamari Union remake director Lefebvre, editor Sean Donovan and producer Sonya Walker.

Richard Lefebvre, Sonya Walker and Sean Donovan

Calamari Union remake is a new take on Aki Kaurismäki’s legendary film about the Helsinki adventures of 15 Franks and one Pekka. Humpday tells the story of two buddies who meet after a long while and begin a filming project that puts their friendship into a test.  Both of the films are a part of the L&A programme.

Sonya Walker in Helsinki 17th to 21st Sep
Ben Kasulke is in Helsinki 18th to 25th Sep
Ricard Lefebvre and Sean Donovan in Helsinki 17th to 27th Sep

Louie Psihoyos

Louie Psihoyos
Representing current issues and political matters the L&A theme Issues screens The Cove:  a film that has aroused a lot of conversation around the world. The documentary reveals the raw butchering of dolphins. The director of The Cove, Louie Psihoyos, is a former photographer of National Geographic, a diver and the founding member of Oceanic Preservation Society together with Jim Clark. “I do want to say, that we tried to do this legally”, Psihoyos has said about the project.

Louie Psihoyos is in Helsinki 17th to 20th Sep

Fernando Epstein

Fernando Epstein
The Man in the field of Uruguay film production, Fernando Epstein is arriving Helsinki due to the screening of Gigante. The film about a security guard falling in love was awarded at Berlinale. Epstein, the producer of Gigante, is one of the founding members of Control Z Films. Control Z Films is mostly responsible for the rise of independent cinema of Uruguay. In addition to Gigante, Epstein has produced Acne and Hiroshima, two other films in this year’s L&A programme.

Fernando Epstein is in Helsinki 18th to 20th Sep

Erika Wasserman and Henrik Hellström

Henrik Hellström and Erika Wasserman
The director of Burrowing Henrik Hellström and the producer Erika Wasserman will visit L&A. Burrowing is part of the theme Northern Stars. Hellström has directed and written Burrowing together with Fredrik Wenzel, who is also the cinematographer and editor of the film. Burrowing is an updated take on the visions of Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau was a critic of the society, he was against the common structures of society and thought people should rely on nature more.  Burrowing had its Swedish premier on 28th of August and it was well-recieved. Hellström is known among other things from being the director of the documentary film Broder Daniel Forever together with Wenzel and Kristian Bengtsson. Broder Daniel Forever follows the last concert the Swedish indie pop band did together.

Henrik Hellström is in Helsinki 20th to 23rd Sep
Erika Wasserman is in Helsinki 21st to 23rd Sep

Nikolay Dostal

Nikolay Dostal and Fedor Popov
Russian Cinema Today theme presents the film Pete on the Way to Heaven. It is a drama awarded at the Moscow Film Festival as the Best Film and it tells the story of a young Murmansk village looney called Petaya who thinks he is a traffic cop. Love & Anarchy is happy to have the film’s producer Fedor Popov and director Nikolay Dostal as guests.

Popov is the man behind numerous Russian film productions. Dostal’s awarded director style is known to the Finnish public from the television series The Penal Battalion. It follows the lives and deaths of a Russian penal battalion in WW2. The series is currently shown on YLE TV1.

Fedor Popov is in Helsinki 21st to 23rd Sep
Nikolay Dostal is in Helsinki 21st to 22nd Sep

Mikael Kristersson

Mikael Kristersson
Light Year, a nominated film in the Nordic Council Film Prize selection, is Mikael Kristersson’s documentary about the life of his kitchen garden. Sweden’s nominee film places the smallest creatures into the spotlight. Kristersson used almost 20 years of his life into the making of the film. Kristersson is attending a panel conversation in 22nd of Sep at Andorra and Dubrovnik. It is organized by Nifin – The Nordic Institute in Finland.

Mikael Kristersson in Helsinki 22nd to 24th Sep

Elena Anaya and Gabe Ibáñez

Elena Anaya

Gabe Ibáñez and Elena Anaya
Gabe Ibáñez is arriving Helsinki with his feature debut, a Spanish horror film Hierro. Known from his work with adverts and short films, Ibáñez skillfully brings intensivity and nightmare spooks to the screen. The producers of Hierro have also produced such films as Pan’s Labyrinth and The Orphanage. The leading actress of Hierro, Elena Anaya is also visiting Helsinki. Anaya is known from her roles in the films of Julio Medem and Pedro Almódovar. Anaya is seen all together in three of the L&A festival films. In addition to Hierro Anaya stars in Just Walking and Mesrine: Part 1 – Killer Instinct.

Gabe Ibáñez and Elena Anaya in Helsinki 24th to 27th Sep

Karin Renberg-Shestakov and Liina Paakspuu

Jaak Kilmi and Kiur Aarma

Jaak Kilmi, Kiur Aarma, Liina Paakspuu and Karin Renberg-Shestakov
L&A's Tere Eesti! theme presents new Estonian film. Many of the filmmakers with films in the Tere Eesti! theme are visiting Love & Anarchy. Director Jaak Kilmi and producer Kiur Aarma are arriving the festival with their new documentary Disco And the Atomic War, which suggests that Finnish television had a major role in the fall of Soviet rule in Estonia. From the film A Wish Tree L&A will have as guests the director Liina Paakspuu and the producer Karin Renberg-Shestakov. Paakspuu represents the new generation of Estonian cinema and her film is a macabre and humoristic depiction of the 21st century Estonia.

Liina Paakspuu and Karin Reinberg-Shestakov in Helsinki 17th to 26th Sep
Kiur Aarma in Helsinki 24th to 26th Sep
Jaak Kilmi in Helsinki 25th to 27th Sep

Melanie Coombs

Melanie Coombs
The film in the theme Animated World called Mary & Max tells the story of two slightly alienated, chocolate loving pen pals, whose relationship goes through the ups and downs of life. The fun visual style of Mary & Max is achieved with stop motion technique and it is written and directed by Adam Elliot. Melanie Coombs, the producer of the Australian film, is visiting the festival. Coombs and Elliot have worked together long before Mary & Max. Harvie Krumpet (2003), the short film directed by Elliot and produced by Coombs was awarded with an Oscar. With her Coombs will bring an awarded short film, The Funk. The Funk, produced by Coombs, will be screened at the beginning of Mary & Max.

Melanie Coombs in Helsinki 25th to 28th Sep

Pertti Sveholm, Milka Ahlroth, Saara Saarela and Liisa Penttilä / Twisted Roots, Photo by: Turkka Ylinen

In addition to the foreign guests of the festival there is a great bunch of top Finnish filmmakers attending the festival. The director Saara Saarela, whose film Twisted Roots is the Finnish Film Gala 2009 is visiting the film’s screening on Thursday 24th Sep at Bio Rex. Twisted Roots is a multi-leveled family drama about the gaps between different generations. The film asks, what is left of us.

Arto Halonen sheds light to the mystery of singer-songwriter Pekka Streng, who managed to avoid publicity during his years. Halonen’s new documentary The Magnetic Man stars the leading artists of the Finnish music scene from Jonna Tervomaa to Emma Salokoski. Halonen is present in the screening of his documentary on Friday 18th Sep at Maxim.

Eija-Liisa Ahtila -screening on the 20th Sep

Eija-Liisa Ahtila is internationally acknowledged and well-known filmmaker and video artist. At last there is a chance to enjoy the works of Ahtila at the L&A festival. In the screening of Ahtila’s works there is three short films: If 6 Was 9, The Hour of Prayer and Where Is Where? and the screening date is Sunday 20th Sep at Maxim. The director Ahtila is present at the screening. After the festival the film Where Is Where? is going to be screened at MoMa in New York.

The festival will also be attended by Hannu Salonen, the director of Tere Eesti! –theme’s film Vasha. Salonen is currently working in Germany. Journalist and documentarist Markku Heikkinen will attend the festival due to his new documentary called All Boys. All Boys investigates the gay porn industry of East-Europe and is part of the festival’s theme called Under Bare Skin.

Tommi Lepola and Tero Molin / Skeleton Crew

From the L&A programme filmmakers from On Thin Ice, Hanasaari A and Skeleton Crew will attend the festival as well as the filmmakers of the theme Short films and Finnish Pearls. For example the director Sampo Mansnerus is visiting L&A due to his new film Long Way Down. The film tells about a young man who is thinking about questions of life and death on the edge of a rooftop.

Sampo Mansnerus

Juha Fiilin / Tocar la Gorda

Wrestlers from Nurmoo, Photo by: Harri J. Rantala

Animatricks, Metropia Award Winner Leena Jääskeläinen / Changeling

The Finnish Film Director of The Year 2009, Jukka-Pekka Valkeapää / The Visitor, Photo by: Turkka Ylinen

The 2008 films and guests in the Archive.

Al the pictures on this page: (c) Simo Karisalo