The 39th Helsinki International Film Festival – Love & Anarchy has announced its complete program, embracing the theme “Together in Love and Anarchy.” Festival leadership emphasized that the event maintains a distinctly political identity, with program director Outi Rehn and executive director Pauliina Ståhlberg stating that every film selection represents a deliberate artistic and political choice. The festival leadership distanced itself from calls for artistic neutrality, asserting that taking clear positions on important issues is fundamental to their mission.
This year’s curation process underwent significant changes, with a five-person programming team led by Rehn replacing retiring co-founder Pekka Lanerva. The new structure aims to create a more collaborative and democratic approach to film selection. Despite the challenge of choosing among an exceptionally strong year of submissions, particularly from Cannes, the team assembled an impressive lineup reflecting their commitment to diverse voices and gender parity.
The festival will open with the Spanish drama “The Black Ball” and close with Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “Minotaur,” a Cannes Grand Prix winner. Additional gala selections feature Palme d’Or winner “Fjord” and Na Hong-jin’s “Hope.” The complete program spans over 250 films and shorts from more than 80 countries across 20 festival sections, with notable works from directors including Paolo Sorrentino, James Gray, and Kiyoshi Kurosawa featured in the Spotlight Selection.
Originally reported by Variety →
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