{"id":56088,"date":"2025-03-04T14:01:10","date_gmt":"2025-03-04T12:01:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tamperefilmfestival.fi\/?p=56088"},"modified":"2025-08-14T16:47:41","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T13:47:41","slug":"tampere-film-festival-starts-on-wednesday-5-march","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tamperefilmfestival.fi\/en\/tampere-film-festival-starts-on-wednesday-5-march\/","title":{"rendered":"Tampere Film Festival Starts on Wednesday 5 March"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tampere Film Festival, one of the largest short film festivals in the world, kicks off for the 55th time on Wednesday 5 March. The festival brings five days of short film screenings as well as feature-length documentaries and fiction films to Finnkino Cine Atlas and Arthouse Cinema Niagara. In addition to screenings, the festival week offers events both for industry professionals and the general festival audience.<\/span><\/p>\n

The film festival is opened with the Finnish premier of the internationally renowned filmmaker <\/span>Pirjo Honkasalo\u2019s <\/b>awaited new film <\/span>Orenda<\/span><\/i> (Finland, Estonia, Sweden, 2025). The <\/span>Opening Screening<\/span><\/a> will be held at Finnkino Plevna\u2019s iSense screening room on 5 March at 18:00. Director Pirjo Honkasalo, writer and leading actress <\/span>Pirkko Saisio <\/b>and leading actress <\/span>Alma P\u00f6ysti<\/b> will be in attendance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Honkasalo\u2019s previous catalogue is also shown extensively in the programme <\/span>In the Spotlight: Pirjo Honkasalo<\/span><\/a>. Honkasalo will be in Tampere throughout the festival and will be in attendance at screenings of her films as well as events. Included in these screenings is the six-time Jussi award-winning <\/span>Concrete Night<\/span><\/i><\/a> (Finland, Sweden, Denmark, 2013), whose lead actor <\/span>Johannes Brotherus <\/b>will also be in attendance at the screening. Honkasalo will talk about her career and work in the free Finnish-language events <\/span>Pirjo Honkasalo: Film and Philosophy<\/span><\/a> and the <\/span>Pirjo Honkasalo Masterclass<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to Honkasalo\u2019s films, this year\u2019s programme includes films from <\/span>Mongolia<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Lithuania<\/span><\/a> in its more than one hundred screenings. Underground culture is explored in the screenings <\/span>Tampere UG<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Club des Femmes: Annette Kennerley<\/span><\/a>. The programme also includes gems from the archives, plenty of student films and fresh European nominees (<\/span>EFA<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>ESFAA<\/span><\/a>). More information on the screenings is available on <\/span>our website\u2019s Screenings page<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Competition Winners to be Awarded at Olympia, 8 March<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A total of 7 678 films applied to participate in Tampere Film Festival\u2019s competitions in 2025. Of these, 123 films were chosen to compete in the <\/span>International<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>National<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Generation XYZ<\/span><\/a> Competitions. The competition screenings feature films from 60 different countries from around the world, including European countries, the United States and Canada, Mexico and Chile, Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia, South Africa and Nigeria, Palestine and Lebanon as well as Japan and South Korea.<\/span><\/p>\n

The winners of the competitions will be announced on 8 March in Olympia at 19:00 in Tampere Film Festival\u2019s <\/span>Award Ceremony<\/span><\/a>. The ceremony will also feature the announcements of the winners of the Sylvi Prize for the best Finnish film and the best Finnish series, presented annually by the Writers Guild of Finland. The festival ends on Sunday with screenings of all the winning films in screenings titled Awarded Films.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lists of all competition films, awards and juries are available on <\/span>our website\u2019s Competitions page<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Free Events and Screenings<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The festival week also offers several free screenings and events. Themed programme is supplemented by Finnish-language discussion events open for all: the <\/span>Care and Democracy panel discussion<\/span><\/a> as well as <\/span>Tampere UG: Panel & Party<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

These free screenings once again include a <\/span>silent film screening at Tampere Cathedral<\/span><\/a>, accompanied on the organ by <\/span>Esa Toivola<\/b>, which has proven to be a hit over the last few years. This time the film screened will be the 1927 film <\/span>The Changeling<\/span><\/i> by <\/span>Teuvo Puro<\/b>. <\/span>TFF & Yle Teema: 30 Years of Uusi Kino<\/span><\/a>, organised in collaboration with Yle, celebrates Uusi Kino\u2019s 30-year journey. This screening will be simultaneously aired on Yle Teema.<\/span><\/p>\n

For children, there are free <\/span>Minikino screenings<\/span><\/a>, as well as <\/span>K\u00e4sis<\/span><\/a>, a screening showcasing short films written and shot by students in Tampere. Audiences can view and vote on new European films in the free screenings <\/span>European Short Film Audience Award 1 and 2<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Information on free screenings and events is available on <\/span>our website\u2019s Tickets page<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Active Ticket Sales and Inspiring Moments<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Last year the festival\u2019s programme drew a crowd of around 34 000 people at venues and online. A large number of visitors is expected this year as well. Tickets have been selling well, and in addition to the festival audience, around 700 guests from around the world have been accredited for the event.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2013 If ticket sales continue at this rate for the whole week, I\u2019ll be happy. Although active ticket sales is only one side of our programme\u2019s success, financial realities dictate how interesting and varied a programme we can offer our audience, says Executive Director of Tampere Film Festival, <\/span>Riina Mikkonen<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2013 We have a very full programme this year, too: Lithuanian experimental films from the 70\u2019s and 80\u2019s, Pirjo Honkasalo\u2019s retrospective, Mongolian animation, queer shorts from the 90\u2019s, the best new short films in the world in three different competitions, children\u2019s screenings, free screenings\u2026 I welcome every single person interested in film to Tampere Film Festival and wish for inspiring moments for all, Mikkonen states.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tampere Film Festival 5.\u20139.3.2025<\/b><\/p>\n

Tickets to Tampere Film Festival are available at Lippu.fi online store<\/a> and ticket outlets, as well as the festival\u2019s ticket outlets<\/a> at Finnkino Cine Atlas and Arthouse Cinema Niagara. For specific information on ticket pricing and opening hours of Tampere Film Festival\u2019s ticket outlets, please visit <\/span>our website\u2019s Tickets page<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most of the films included in the competition screenings are also available online through the Filmchief platform starting on 5 March. Read more on <\/span>our website\u2019s Online Screenings page<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The programme designed for film industry professionals can be explored on our website’s Industry Programme page<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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