10/01/2019 - Having reached its 18th edition, the Helsinki-based documentary film festival will open with the world premiere of Reetta Huhtanen’s Gods of Molenbeek

Reetta Huhtanen’s debut feature, Gods of Molenbeek [+see also:
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Other Finnish world premieres will include six shorts, starting with The Wild Swans by Laura Mendelin, Ride of Passage by Katri Myllyniemi and Vilja Autiokyrö, Otso Alanko’s Latu, Fourth Wall by Laura Rantanen, Love the Most by Antti Seppänen, and It’s Not Silence by Joonas Salo, as well as a number of features: The Law of Nature [+see also:
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film profile] by Verena Netzer and Mika Rantonen, depicting the unforgiving reality faced by Finnish farmers, Minna Långström’s The Other Side of Mars [+see also:
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While always eager to shine a spotlight on brand-new gems, this year’s selection will also showcase some of the most interesting documentaries of the past few months, including Genesis 2.0 [+see also:
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film profile], dedicated to the unlikely adventures of two stray dogs living in the oldest skate park in Chile. In keeping with one of the main themes of the 2019 edition, nature and forests, the audience will also get to see Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė’s Acid Forest [+see also:
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film profile] and Shaheen Dill-Riaz’s Bangladesh-set Bamboo Stories, also set to have its world premiere at the festival. “Finland is a leader in technology when it comes to exploiting its famous forests. We hope to broaden the debate on the subject through the means of cinema, from more experimental approaches to more classical documentaries,” explains Sirkka Möller, chair of the selection committee.

Another significant theme will explore the current state of Russian politics, with the help of such filmmakers as Vitaly Mansky, administering a well-timed blow with Putin’s Witnesses [+see also:
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film profile], and Maxim Pozdorovkin. “His film, Our New President, tells the story of Donald Trump’s rise to power entirely through Russian media reports, proving that truth really is stranger than fiction,” says executive director Tapio Riihimäki. “Russia is not only Finland’s neighbour, but also both a former colonial power and a close trading partner. We offer an alternative view on Russian politics since the 1930s,” adds Möller. Still, it won’t be all about politics, also thanks to Kristīne Briede and Audrius Stonys’ Bridges of Time [+see also:
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film profile], a loving tribute to the forgotten masters behind the Baltic New Wave. “It portrays the Baltic New Wave through a cinematic essay, where the recent past is shown as both beautiful and melancholic. Essayistic film will always have a special place in my heart,” admits Riihimäki.

In line with the festival’s decision to champion diversity and inclusion, 46.2% of the chosen films have been directed by female filmmakers. Acclaimed Czech director Helena Třeštíková, whose René earned her a European Film Award in 2008, will be this year’s honorary retrospective guest, while cinematographer Marita Hällfors will receive the Apollo Lifetime Award, given out for special achievements in the field of Finnish documentary filmmaking. 

The 18^th edition of the festival will be held from 28 January-3 February.