One of the most critically acclaimed European directors working today, the German director Christian Petzold’s latest title Undine launches off Espoo Ciné on the 2nd September. The highly anticipated new documentary Aalto from award winning Virpi Suutari will be screened as the Finnish Gala Premiere. Ville Jankeri’s Metsäjätti is placed as the Gala Premiere on Friday and the Italian maestro Marco Bellocchio’s The Traitor closes the film festival on Sunday the 6th September.
German auteur Christian Petzold (Barbara, Espoo Ciné 2012; Transit, Espoo Ciné 2019) brings his latest film Undine to Espoo. Love is forever in this romantic fairytale following the old water nymph myth in modern-day Berlin. The astonishing Paula Beer was awarded the best female actor in this year’s Berlinale. Her love interest is played by ”the German Joaquin Phoenix” Franz Rogowski (Transit 2019).
Opening film in Kino Tapiola, Finnkino Sello and Finnkino Omena on Wed 2.9. at 19. Undine in Finnish film theatres from October the 9th.
Virpi Suutari’s new documentary Aalto will be screened as the Finnish Gala Premiere of Espoo Ciné. Aalto is a love story of the masters of modern architecture, Alvar and Aino Aalto and their work all around the world.
Finnish Film Gala in Kino Tapiola in Thursday September the 9th at 19. Aalto premieres on Sep 4th.
Friday’s Gala Premiere introduces the new drama by director Ville Jankeri. Forest Giant is based on the bestselling novel of Miika Nousiainen and is starred by Jussi Vatanen, Hannes Suominen and Sara Soulié.
Gala Premiere in Kino Tapiola on Friday September the 4th at 19. Forest Giant premieres on Sep 11th.
Maestro of Italian cinema, Marco Bellocchio’s, praised and award-winning new thriller The Traitor ends the festival on a high note. Based on a true story the Cannes premiered film tells the intriguing story of the first mafia man to break the unbreakable omertà, the law of silence.
Closing Film in Kino Tapiola on Sunday, September the 6th at 20.
The Whistlers by Corneliu Porumboiun is a highly enjoyable neo thriller about a corrupt policeman, group of crooks, a femme fatale and a Canarian whistle language. The Whistlers will be coming to Finnish film theatres later this year.
Fans of French film are spoiled with some special treats! Claude Lelouch double-bill brings his classic A Man and a Woman (1966) and its stars Anouk Aimée and Jean-Louis Trintignant back together on his new, dream-like love story The Best Years of a Life (2019). Another French master is Philippe Garrel, whose black and white drama The Salt of Tears tells a breathtaking story of a very complicated love.
Two-time winners of the Cannes Film Festival Palm d’Or, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s latest film Young Ahmed is a skillfully told drama of a 13-year-old Ahmed battling between modern life and religion. Hungary’s Oscar nomination for the best international film, Those Who Remained, is a lyrical story of love’s healing power in the midst of conflict, loss and trauma. Jan Komasa’s Corpus Christi about the twenty-something criminal who ends up passing as the priest of a small village was Poland’s Oscar nominee. Andrey Tarkovsky. A Cinema Prayer is a rare look on the cinema poet Andrei Tarkovski’s life and films. His son Andrei A. Tarkovski has gathered the film of rare archive materials.
A very special year has both challenged and liberated the festival organizators this year. As the seats get fewer due to safety regulations, Espoo Ciné will be spreading to Helsinki. For the first time the 31-year-old festival arranges screenings through a night with a promise to take the viewers on a roller coaster of emotions: laughter, excitement – and a gentle wake-up call.
Night screenings in Kino Tapiola from Sat September 5th at 22 to Sun 6th at 7.30.
The festival for kids and youth, Junior Ciné, launches off with a German feel-good film Rocca muuttaa maailman. The film, following right in the steps of Peppi Pitkätossu, is an eventful and riveting story about friendship, helping out – and squirrels! ”It is great to have this film full of positive energy to open up the festival, right now when we most need it”, Junior Ciné producer Maria Lehtonen rejoices.
Junior Ciné from Wednesday 2nd to Friday 4th September
Ticket sales starts on Wednesday 12th August at 17.00 in Kino Tapiola and online at www.espoocine.fi.
Espoo Ciné will be held in September 2020 as a one-time only occasion, and it returns next year in its regular place in the beginning of May. The festival venues are Kino Tapiola, Finnkino Sello and Finnkino Omena from Wednesday 2nd to Sunday 6th September. Screenings are seen also at Cinema Orion and Kino Regina in Helsinki over the festival weekend from 4th to 6th September.
