2001

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Lapland has always been a topic favoured by Finnish filmmakers. Therefore its inclusion among the themes of the archive film series is a matter of course. The screenings will be held at the legendary 72-year-old film theatre Kinopalatsi.

Between the early 1910's and the end of the 1960's, life in Lapland was portrayed in more than 300 short films. A fourth of these films were made in the 1930's. For our Cinema Lapponia series, we have dusted down a wide selection of Lapland-themed gems from the Finnish Film Archive. The makers of these films were all full-fledged professionals, and included names like Heikki Aho, Björn Soldan, Erik Blomberg, Eino Mäkinen, Kustaa Vilkuna and Brita Wred. Their topics ranged from the rugged and beautiful Lappish nature to the reconstruction of Lapland, which had been ravaged by the war.

Silent Films with Piano Accompaniment

The first screening covers the years 1916 to 1938. Silent films will be accompanied by piano. Among the films included in this screening is the oldest of the Lapland-themed shorts that has been preserved in its entirety, Tervanpolttoa Lapissa (Tar Burning in Lapland, 1916), and the most famous of the 20th Century documentaries on Lapland, Suonikylän talvielämää (Winter Life in Suonikylä, 1938). This film by Eino Mäkinen and Kustaa Vilkuna is an ethnological masterpiece and an undeniable classic in its field.

Rarities

The second screening focuses on the few documentaries made about Lapland during the war, as well as the years of reconstruction. Some of the films included in the screening are the magnificent Lappi rakentaa I-III (Lappi under Construction), directed by Aho and Soldan between the years 1945 and 1949, and Porojen parissa (Among the Reindeer) and Lemmenjoelta (From Lemmenjoki River) by Erik Blomberg and Eino Mäkinen. The third and fourth screenings consist of Lapland-themed films from the 50's and the 60's. Included, among others, is the first ever colour film about Lapland, as well as the notable Sompio-series and Laulu tunturille (A Song for the Fjeld), the musical masterpiece by Aimo Jäderholm.

2001 will be the 18th year that films from the Finnish Film Archive are given special screenings at Tampere Film Festival.

Films from the Finnish Broadcasting Company Archive

In addition to the screenings mentioned above, Tampere Film Festival will also be screening treasures from the vaults of the nearly 75-year-old Finnish Broadcasting Company, again at Kinopalatsi. The screening consists of two excellent documentaries. Nukkuu maa siellä (Where the Land is Sleeping, 1980) by Jarmo Laine is probably the most significant Finnish tv documentary about the Skolt Sami people. It is an account of the reactions aroused among the people of Suonikylä in Petsamo upon seeing the legendary documentary on life in Suonikylä for the first time, 40 years after it was made. Nukkuu maa siellä is also a documentary about life in Suonikylä, only this time told by the locals themselves.

Maailman paras paikka (The Best Place in the World, 1979) by Jarmo Jääskeläinen was co-produced by the Finnish Broadcasting Company and the Polish Television. It is an insightful chronicle of the life of Heikki Pihlajamäki, who moved from Tampere to Lapland and became the last gold digger in the Miessi area. The film allows plenty of room for Heikki's thoughts and feelings, and is not without its tragic elements. "You adopt a certain way of life here that is a lot more valuable than gold, you find your real self."

Maailman paras paikka was awarded the Regione Puglia prize in Prix Italia in 1979.

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