The important japanese anime director Satoshi Kon has passed away. The director died suddenly on August 24 at the age of 46. The cause of death has been reported as pancreatic cancer.

During his final years, Kon was working on the film THE DREAMING MACHINE. It is unclear at this point, whether the film will be finished wiothout its writer/director. The last finished work by Kon, the 2006 film PAPRIKA, was seen in HIFF in 2007. Also other films by the author, MILLENNIUM ACTRESS, MEMORIES and PERFECT BLUE have been shown in HIFF in various years.

Kon specialized in strongly visual, sometimes also frightening, stories mixing dreams, illusions and reality. Kon's style has influenced numerous other directors, including Darren Aronofsky and Christopher Nolan.

Two music documentaries have been added to the programme of the 23rd Helsinki International Film Festival: Jonathan Demme's NEIL YOUNG TRUNK SHOW and Damani Baker's and Alex Vlack's STILL BILL.

Demme has returned to film another documentary about the good old Neil Young after his 2006 documentary, HEART OF GOLD. To counter-balance its peaceful predecessor, NEIL YOUNG TRUNK SHOW also includes rougher, electronic performances. However, it also doesn't forget the more emotional ones. In addition to the gig-footage, there is, like before, also shots from the backstage and Young's good-natured chats with the concert staff.

STILL BILL also focuses on a legendary musician on his old days. Unlike Young, however, the soul-superstar Bill Withers has mostly kept himself out of the public spotlight since 1985. STILL BILL is a traditional biographical documentary, but the personality and the niceness of its target make every moment a bliss. Withers is the archetype of a satisfied mind on an old timer.

Check out the teaser from the upcoming festival trailer City of Dead.

The trailer prémiers in Finnkino theatres on 27th of August, and on this website and tv channel Sub at the beginning of September.

The unusual scifi-horror film RUBBER has been confirmed to be on the HIFF programme. The film tells the story of a lone vengeful car tire rolling through the desert. The tire is not your average Michelin, as it possesses psychic powers. Thus it can blow the heads off from people it comes across with.

The film is directed by Quentin Dupieux, better known as the electronic musician Mr. Oizo. According to the director, all the weirdness in the film happens for "no reason". The movie premiered this spring at the Cannes Film Festival, where it created a lot of buzz.

Also the Info-section of the HIFF homepage has been updated. More information about this autumn's festival is to be published here soon.

LIFE DURING WARTIME, the new film from the festival favorite director Todd Solondz (WELCOME TO DOLLHOUSE, PALINDROMES), will be shown this autumn in the Helsinki International Film Festival. The film is a sequel to the 1998 arthouse success, HAPPINESS.

LIFE DURING WARTIME follows the familiar characters a couple of years after the events of HAPPINESS. However, Solondz has made things a bit more interesting by changing all the old actors to new ones. The lives of the people haven't turned any easier. Neurosis, loneliness and pining for love still haunt their mundane lives. Solondz keeps things tragicomical, cruel and warm at the same time.

The film won Solondz a Best director award at last year's Venice Film Festival.

The 23rd Helsinki International Film Festival is held from 16th to 26th September 2010. Welcome!

The latest film from the art house director Harmony Korine (GUMMO, JULIEN DONKEY-BOY, MR. LONELY), TRASH HUMPERS, has been confirmed to be on this autumn's Helsinki International Film Festival's programme. TRASH HUMPERS has previously won the jury prize at the documentary festival CPH:DOX in Copenhagen, Denmark.

TRASH HUMPERS is a hard film to categorize. It has been called a documentary, a horror film and a drama. The film contains little plot and is shot on poor-quality VHS tape. The film follows a group of ugly and disgusting creatures (or people?) who do ugly and disgusting things. Humping trash cans is only the beginning. The characters are raw parodies of the American white trash stereotype. Korine once again questions the rules of art cinema by testing the limits of his film's audience's patience. The nightmarish film's closest comparison may be the equally dream-like Werner Herzog classic EVEN THE DWARFS STARTED SMALL.

In the UK there has been special screenings of the film from daisy-chained old TV sets and VHS tape. In the Helsinki International Film Festival the movie is projected from traditional 35 mm film.

Helsinki International Film Festival is proud to present the cult rockumentary ANVIL! - THE STORY OF ANVIL in its programme. The movie follows the metal band Anvil on its unbelievable comeback tour, that is full of surprises. The middle-aged band has to overcome ever more absurd obstacles to gain its moment in triumph. The film's Spinal Tap-like silliness goes all the way to eleven.

For friends of anime, HIFF offers the eagerly waited EVANGELION 2.0 - YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE). The sequel to EVANGELION 1.0: YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE brings new developments to the ongoing conflict between the mecha-robots and the angel creatures. The story is part two in a four part-saga.

The 23rd Helsinki International Film Festival is held from 16th to 26th September.

The 23rd Helsinki International Film Festival is held from 16th to 26th September 2010. Welcome!

A sneak preview of our new trailer

As usual, Helsinki International Film Festival will show the most interesting new European and Scandinavian films this year.

The Danish ARMADILLO, directed by Janus Metz, is a gripping documentary about the conflict in Afghanistan shown from the frontlines of a Danish military base. The film is a winner of a Grand Prix in Critics’ Week at Cannes this year. It is also the second most successful Danish documentary ever.

Also the Danish films BROTHERHOOD and R have been confirmed to be in the programme. BROTHERHOOD is a startling drama about two neo-nazis who fall in love with each other, directed by Nicolo Donato. R by Tobias Lindholm and Michael Noer is a realistic prison drama, in the same vein as THE PROPHET.

Representing new Estonian cinema at the festival is the new film by Veiko Öunpuu, director of AUTUMN BALL. The new film is the wildly cinematic dark comedy THE TEMPTATION OF ST. TONY.