The 37th Espoo Ciné Film Festival has come to an end. During the ten-day festival, an impressive 184 films were screened at 15 venues across Espoo and Helsinki, alongside a diverse range of events, from discussions to a film music concert and an art exhibition. Our warmest thanks go to the festival audiences, partners and volunteers, without whom the festival would not be possible.
This year’s audience survey is now open – you can fill it out here. Your responses will help us continue to develop the festival, and everyone who completes the survey by 20 September will be entered into a prize draw to win a six (6)-ticket pass for the 2027 festival.
The official attendance figures will be published after Junior Ciné has concluded, but on the Espoo Ciné side, attendance at cinema screenings and accompanying events has increased, and the diversity of the programme has received plenty of praise. In addition to the opening film, Pedro Almodóvar’s Autofiction, and the Finnish Gala film, Alli Haapasalo’s drama Kerro kaikille, sold-out screenings included, among others, Shō Miyake’s Two Seasons, Two Strangers, Mark Jenkin’s Rose of Nevada, and Klaus Härö’s new film Hetki ennen valoa at Kino Tapiola. The enthusiastic reception of the new Cinéstesia programme exceeded expectations, and the two-day seminar in particular attracted large numbers of participants from both the film and visual arts fields.
The outdoor screening organised in collaboration with the WeeGee Exhibition Centre, Baz Luhrmann’s breathtaking William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet, attracted more than 400 viewers to enjoy the atmosphere as Espoo Day gave way to a darkening evening on Saturday, 29 August.
One event from the festival’s accompanying programme is still running until 20 September: the collage art exhibition Peräkamarimusiikkia – Markku Pennanen, on display at the new Art Space Mari exhibition space at Tapiola’s Kulttuuriaukio. The exhibition offers an opportunity to take a closer look at the playful art of Markku Pennanen, the enigmatic artist and protagonist of Karin Pennanen’s acclaimed documentary Päivien lumo.
Although Espoo Ciné is over for now, we’ll be able to spend the late-summer evenings watching films again at next year’s festival. Thank you, and see you in 2027!
Article photo: Olli-Jussi Ollilainen