The ”Crip Ciné kylässä” (”Crip Ciné visits”) pop-up screenings organised by Espoo Ciné will continue in 2026 with the support of the Finnish Film Foundation’s funding. In its report, the Parliamentary Finance Committee also proposes additional funding for organizing Crip Ciné kylässä screenings for children and young people in 2026.
The funding received and proposed will enable the sustainable organisation of the touring screenings in cooperation with various partners at a wide range of venues, now with the addition of pop-up screenings specifically for younger audiences.
Established in 2021, Crip Ciné is an initiative of the Espoo Ciné film festival that aims to promote more sustainable and diverse representations of disability, as well as films made by disabled filmmakers. In 2023, Crip Ciné received the Kunnia-Vimma Award from Kynnys ry.
The Crip Ciné kylässä pop-up screenings, which have received highly positive feedback and sparked enthusiastic discussion, were organised in 2025 at, among others, Aspa Foundation’s Aspa Homes, the Kerava Activity and Work Center, the Institut Français, Olarin Panimo brewery, and Leppävaara Church. A tour supported by the City of Espoo is currently underway, featuring discussions about the screened films facilitated by Mediametka, a media education organisation.
The final screening of the year will take place on Wednesday, 17 December, at 3–5 pm in the Akseli Hall at the Sello Library. The tour will conclude at the end of January with screenings organised in cooperation with the Leppävaara Parish seniors’ club at Karakappeli chapel on 27 January 2026 and at the youth center Siipi on 30 January 2026.
The touring Crip Ciné kylässä screenings were launched in 2025 as part of Espoo Ciné’s broader Crip Ciné programme, which also included a spring festival including screenings at Kino Tapiola as well as Kino Regina and Maijansali in the Helsinki Central Library Oodi; an online festival; and a Crip Ciné focus as part of the main Espoo Ciné festival from 22–31 August 2025. The themes of the spring Crip Ciné festival were love, horror, and human rights. The festival also featured a performance by Kalevi Helvetti and discussions on the position of disabled artists.
The Junior Ciné children’s and youth film festival programme likewise included several films promoting a sustainable representation of disability, such as Lars is LOL (2023), directed by Eirik Sæter Stordahl and awarded at multiple international film festivals, which was shown during Junior Ciné’s spring screenings. Altogether, these year-round film screenings promoting more diverse representations of disability reached over 3,500 viewers.
The 2025 Crip Ciné programme was supported by project funding from the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Finnish Cultural Foundation, and the City of Espoo.
In addition to the pop-up screenings, Crip Ciné will again be featured as part of the Espoo Ciné Film Festival in 2026, taking place on 21–30 August.
We will provide updates on the 2026 pop-up screenings during the spring as the programme begins to take shape. Organisations interested in hosting a Crip Ciné kylässä pop-up screening are invited to contact Espoo Ciné’s Executive Director, Tytti Rantanen.