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.

LAPLAND ODYSSEY, directed by Dome Karukoski, is the Finnish Film Gala selection for the 23rd Helsinki International Film Festival – Love & Anarchy.

LAPLAND ODYSSEY is the Finnish Film Gala selection for the 23rd Helsinki IFF – Love & Anarchy.  LAPLAND ODYSSEY is a fast paced adventure, taking place in the winter wonderland of Northern Finland. The movie tells the story of three friends Janne (Jussi Vatanen), Kapu (Jasper Pääkkönen) and Räihänen (Timo Lavikainen), who set off on an action packed quest to Rovaniemi, in search of a digital television receiver. The Finnish Film Gala is arranged for the celebration of the Finnish film and it takes place on Wednesday the 22nd September.

In addition to LAPLAND ODYSSEY, other Finnish movies confirmed for the festival program include ITO – A DIARY OF AN URBAN PRIEST, a poetic documentary film following the life of a Tokyo based, Buddhist monk by Pirjo Honkasalo and THE DEATH OF AN INSECT, a short film by Hannes Vartiainen and Pekka Veikkolainen, included in the series of Finnish short films.

One of the festivals special screenings offers a unique cinematic concert experience. KINO UUMEN combines short films with the improvised music of Kimmo Pohjonen and Eric Echampard. The first film confirmed for this screening is the extremely physical MAQUINA, by the director of HIERRO, Gabe Ibánez, who visited the festival last year.

The guest of the Love&Anarchy 2009, spicy Spanish actress, Elena Anaya, will be starring in the next Pedro Almodóvar film alongside Antonio Banderas.

The film La piel que habito (The Skin I Live In) is based on the novel Mygale, by Thierry Jonquet. It tells the story of plastic surgeon, who goes after the group of men, who raped his daughter.

The film is to premiére at the 64th Cannes Film Festival in May 2011.

A Finnish short film, Kinbaku - the Art of Bondage, has been awarded in Spain with the RTP Onda Curta prize.

Kinbaku - the Art of Bondage is a visually ambitious short documentary about the ancient tradition of bondage. The film is written and directed by Mr. Jouni Hokkanen, who is one of the programmers of Love & Anarchy festival. Kinbaku has been screened in several film festivals all over the world and it was screened at the competition in Tampere Short Film Festival this spring.

Kinbaku's Helsinki prémier will be at this year's edition of the Helsinki IFF - Love & Anarchy (from the 16th to 26th September, 2010).

”The director told me that Kinbaku is the most beautiful documentary ever made in Finland. I checked the film. He was not lying”.
- Patrick Frater, Variety

”This is far more better than Bakushi by Hiroki”.
- Russell Edwards, Variety

”This beautiful and amazingly-shot piece is a textured, atmospheric piece profiling riggers and models and others involved in the s/m world of Japan. It is an insightful and sometimes disturbing look into what goes on in the mind of those who share this strange passion with rope. I am immensely envious and inspired by the way the editors,  cinematographers, and directors put this together. The soundtrack is also exceptional."
-Greydancer.com

Artisokka – Helsinki Woman Film Festival järjestetään Helsingin Bio Rexissä 16.–18. huhtikuuta. Yhdeksännen Artisokan ohjelmistoon on poimittu kahdeksan pitkää elokuvaa naistekijöiltä. Ulkomaisen tuotannon lisäksi festivaali esittelee kotimaisten lyhytelokuvien parhaimmistoa.

Drew Barrymore: Roller Girl

Vuoden 2010 Artisokka kumartaa Agnés Vardalle, ranskalaisen elokuvan uuden aallon pioneerille, esittämällä hänen laajasta tuotannostaan kaksi elokuvaa. The Beaches of Agnès on kaunis kuvaus Vardan muistoista, uran alkuvaiheista hänen puolisonsa Jacques Demyn kuoleman jälkeiseen aikaan. The Beaches of Agnèsin lisäksi Artisokka-katsoja saa mahdollisuuden tutustua Vardan varhaisempaan tuotantoon. Festivaalilla esitetään naiskiertolaisen tarina Sans toit ni loi / Vapaa kuin taivaan lintu, joka voitti Venetsian festivaalin Kultaisen leijonan vuonna 1985.

Festivaaliohjelmistoon on valikoitunut useampi esikoiselokuva. Drew Barrymore laajentaa osaamistaan näyttelijä-tuottajasta ohjaajaksi esikoisellaan Roller Girl (Whip It), jonka Nordisk Film julkaisee dvd:llä 28.5. Roller Girlin tarina sijoittuu tyttöenergiaa uhkuviin, kitschistä ammentaviin ja burleski-ilmiöön rinnastettaviin roller derby -rullaluistelupiireihin. Elokuvan päätähtenä nähdään Junosta tutuksi tullut Ellen Page.

Kiasmassa viime joulukuussa päättyneen sveitsiläisen Pipilotti Ristin Elixir-näyttelyssä koettiin videotaidetta selällään maaten. Rist tunnetaan voimakkaiden tunteiden kuvaajana, joka ei pelkää käyttää väripaletin jokaista sävyä. Ristin esikoisen Peppermintan pääsee kokemaan Artisokassa. Home on kolmas festivaalilla nähtävä esikoisohjaus. Ursula Meier on kiinnittänyt elokuvaansa maailmanluokan tähden, Isabelle Huppertin. Homen onnellinen perhe elää suljetun moottoritien varressa. Idylli murenee kun tie avataan ja perhe yrittää elää alituisen metelin ja uteliaiden katseiden kanssa.

Artisokassa nähdään Espanjan naisohjaajaylpeyden Isabel Coixetin uusin: Map of the Sounds of Tokio, tarina naispalkkamurhaajasta. Coixetin kanssa samoja projekteja tehneen argentiinalaisen Julia Solomonoffin The Last Summer of La Boyita on Artisokan herkin elokuva. Se kertoo Mariosta, joka kamppailee oman sukupuolisen erikoislaatuisuutensa kanssa. Artisokan viimeinen näytös, The Hurt Locker sunnuntai-iltana, on kunnianosoitus Kathryn Bigelowille. Bigelow voitti viime helmikuussa parhaan ohjaajan Oscar-palkinnon, joka ojennettiin ensimmäistä kertaa naiselle.

Kotimaista lyhyesti -näytöksessä nähdään muun muassa Tampereen elokuvajuhlilla sekä kansainvälisen että kotimaisen kilpasarjan voittanut Lumikko, ohj. Miia Tervo.

Liput näytöksiin 6,5 euroa. Elokuvien esittelytekstit ja festivaali-info: www.artisokka.info