From the Land of the Midnight Sun

From the Land of the Midnight Sun

JULY 16-18, 2010

With saunas, reindeer and the summer’s midnight sun, Finland and its unique cinematic output remains one of the world well-kept secrets. From the Land of the Midnight Sun gives us three of Finland’s finest film exports of the last year, plus a Seattle remake of a Finnish classic. We start with a new package of short films from Finland, then move onto Peter von Bagh’s ode to the capital city, Helsinki Forever, and conclude with Jukka Kärkkäinen’s poetic, portrait-like view into six Finnish living rooms, Living Room of the Nation. These films collectively display the Finn’s enduring ability to surprise and please audiences, suggesting perhaps the camera’s iris is often best pointed at the midnight sun.

 

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Helsinki, Forever

West Coast Premiere 

Jul 16 - Jul 18, 2010

(Peter von Bagh, Finland, 2009, DigiBeta, 75 min)

Peter von Bagh, a distinguished film critic, historian and one-time director of the Finnish film archive, brings his wealth of knowledge and infectious cinephilia toHelsinki, Forever. Von Bagh’s “fabulous and rather Markeresque documentary…is a lovely city symphony which is also a history of Helsinki (and incidentally, Finland, Finnish cinema, and Finnish pop music)" (Jonathan Rosenbaum).

"worthy of several viewings" —Seattle PostGlobe

"The documentary... is about the city and the art form that, as Walter Benjamin once pointed out, best represents it: cinema." —The Stranger

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Package Deals: Finland

West coast premiere! 

Jul 16 - Jul 18, 2010

(Various artists, Finland, 2010, Beta-SP, 90 min)

Suomi, Helsinki, Tampere, Turku, Oulu… What happens in these little known urban centers of Finland? This program shows there’s freak folk, heavy metal, contemporary art, new media, reindeer and perhaps a Laplander or two.

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The Living Room of the Nation

West Coast Premiere 

Jul 16 - Jul 18, 2010

(Jukka Kärkkäinen, Finland, 2009, DigiBeta, 74 min)

Finlanders are known more for their buttoned-up silence than their willingness to share their most intimate thoughts. But as producer Sami Jahnukainen proves with The Living Room, a single camera can produce hours of footage of Finns addressing their deepest, darkest thoughts.

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Calamari Union

Jul 16 - Jul 17, 2010

(Richard Lefebvre, USA, 2009, Beta-SP, 84 min)

Richard Lefebvre’s re-make of Aki Kaurismaki’s Calamari Union, an ultra-hip absurdist comedy that brought Kaurismäki’s trademark blend of deadpan humor, idiosyncratic irony, mannered minimalism and compelling humanism to the fore, is screened here as a work in progress. Lefebvre has recruited a volunteer motley crew of Northwest musicians and icons for various roles.

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