Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival

Moonlight Sonata

 
In special recognition of Finland's 100th birthday, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival has created a special programme of 23 films celebrating Finnish cinematic history, which will be shown in a 48-hour-long marathon screening. 

The unprecedented screening is set to take place between the 24th and 26th of November at the old cinematheque Kinomaja in Tallinn’s Old Town. The events programme will include a karaoke contest and a live peformance by the band Marko Haavisto & Poutahaukat, who gained fame performing in Aki Kaurismäki’s The Man Without a Past. The screenings will be introduced by various Finnish filmmakers, including director Jörn Donner and actress Kati Outinen.
 
The opening film will be Jörn Donner’s legendary documentary Fuck Off! Images of Finland (1971), a cross-section of Finnish society in 1970, where beauty and ugliness, sad and funny, gentle and obscene co-exist organically. The uncut version only received screening permission at the end of the 1980’s.
 
The selected films have been made between the years 1938 and 2008, genres include drama, thriller, horror, erotic, crime and comedy, all of them having gained a cult status in Finland and most having never been shown in Estonia. All the movies will be screened from 35mm films.
 
The programme has been curated by the reputable Sodankylä Midnight Sun Film Festival, that was founded and is artistically consulted by Aki and Mika Kaurismäki.
 
“The selection represents the diverse mental landscape of Finland. We interpret the word ‘cult’ as broadly as possible, using it to name films that have aroused both admiration and indignation, and have lived longer than one generation. On top of that, this feast will be screened on celluloid, making it a rare one-time pleasure,” said Milja Mikkola, the Programme Manager of Sodankylä festival - Midnight Sun Film Festival.
 
Black Nights’ sub-festival PÖFF Shorts will screen a selection of Aki Kaurismäki’s short films.

The programme:
Stolen Death (1938) - Nyrki Tapiovaara
Cross of Love (1946) - Teuvo Tulio
Louisa (1946), Valentin Vaala
The White Reindeer (1952), Erik Blomberg
Gas, Inspector Palmu! (1961), Matti Kassila
Skin, Skin (1966), Mikko Niskanen    
Portraits of Women (1970), Jörn Donner
The Count (1971), Peter von Bagh
Fuck Off! - Images of Finland (1971), Jörn Donner
Sensuela (1973), Teuvo Tulio
The Year of the Hare (1977), Risto Jarva
Life, Here I Come! (1980), Tapio Suominen
The Worthless (1982), Mika Kaurismäki
„Calamari Union” (1985), Aki Kaurismäki
The Last Rat Skins (1985), Anssi Mänttäri
The Moonlight Sonata (1988), Olli Soinio
Dolly and Her Lover (1990), Matti Ijäs
The Prodigal Son (1992), Veikko Aaltonen
The Land of Happiness (1993), Markku Pölönen
Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatiana (1994), Aki Kaurismäki  
The Collector (1997), Auli Mantila
The Man Without a Past (2002), Aki Kaurismäki  
Sauna (2008), AJ Annila

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival will take place between 17th November and the 3rd of December 2017.