This year Espoo Ciné welcomes distinguished guests to the festival such as the renowned contemporary German director Andreas Dresen, the accomplished actress Laura Birn, as well as the experimental duo Mika Taanila and Harry Salmenniemi.
Don't experience the films alone – instead, delve deeper into what you’ve seen with the filmmakers themselves!
During the festival, Espoo Ciné will host discussions and filmmaker visits that provide context, challenge perceptions, and continue where the films leave off. Guests will share insights into the filmmaking process, shed light on their work, and answer questions from the audience.
You can find a full list of festival discussions here, while screenings featuring filmmaker guests can be found under the Guests theme.
International Filmmaker Guests: Andreas Dresen
The award-winning director Andreas Dresen, whose accolades span both his native Germany and international platforms, will be a guest at Espoo Ciné during the festival's first weekend. Dresen, one of Germany’s leading contemporary directors, will present his film From Hilde, with Love, which tells the story of resistance fighters during the Third Reich.
The director will be interviewed after the first screening at Kino Tapiola on Sunday, 25 August at 5:45 PM. This beautiful yet tragic love story, based on a true story, will also be shown on Saturday, 31 August at 8 PM at Finnkino Iso Omena.
Dresen’s extensive portfolio includes feature films, documentaries, theatre, and opera. His work has been recognised at festivals such as Cannes and the Berlinale.
Domestic Guests: Birn, Taanila, Salmenniemi, Toivoniemi, Wallinheimo-Heimonen...
In addition to Dresen, the festival will also host Finnish makers, including actress Laura Birn, director Mika Taanila, and poet Harry Salmenniemi. More guests will be present at the domestic celebration film screening on Wednesday, 28 August, as well as at the short film screenings Fresh Out of ELO – Student Films from Espoo and Crip Ciné in Motion.
The accomplished actress Laura Birn will be on Kino Tapiola's terrace on Saturday, 24 Aug, to discuss her career in film and television. Prior to the terrace discussion, Kino Tapiola will screen two films starring Birn: Void and Two Bodies on a Beach. Both films satirise the film industry and the life of an artist. Two Bodies on a Beach, which comments on the narrow roles of women, was co-written by Birn and director Anna Paavilainen.
On Sunday, 25 August, the dynamic duo of experimental cinema, Mika Taanila and Harry Salmenniemi, will discuss the creative tension between film and literature on Kino Tapiola's terrace. Their latest collaborative film Failed Emptiness will be shown before the discussion at Kino Tapiola.
Additionally, the festival will welcome other Finnish makers such as Butterflies director Jenni Toivoniemi, screenwriter Anna Brotkin, and lead actress Aksa Korttila. Jenni-Juulia Wallinheimo-Heimonen, who is also showcasing her work at the Finnish Pavilion at this year's Venice Biennale, will be a guest at the Crip Ciné in Motion short film screening. New blood will be pumped into the film scene during the screening of Fresh Out of ELO – Student Films from Espoo, where fresh filmmakers will present their short films.
