Finlandia Foundation Suomi Chapter presents an eclectic, three-day Festival of Finnish Films on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday on February 3-5. Screened at the Firehouse Arts and Events Center in beautiful Fairhaven, this will be a weekend with something for everyone; from hard-to-find remastered classics, new takes on beloved characters, to current perspectives in present-day Finland.

The festival lineup includes:
Friday Feb 3:

• 6-7pm: Reception and celebration of Finnish film. Join us for previews, discounted snacks, and get ready to kick off the weekend’s film festival.
• 7pm: The Man Without a Past (Mies vailla menneisyyttä), the 2002 Oscar-nominated film by acclaimed director Aki Kaurismäki.

Saturday Feb 4:

• 12:30pm: Tale of a Lake (Järven tarina; 2016) takes a spellbinding journey through the seasons into the life of lakes and their connections with Finnish mythology. In English.
• 2:30pm: Bellingham Sister Cities Cross-Cultural Filmmaking Workshop: Resemblances, which brought teens in Bellingham, WA and Vaasa, Finland together for a filmmaking challenge. In English. Free.
• 3:30pm: Learn of the Sami people’s present-day struggle to maintain their indigenous culture and way of life with 2021’s Our Silent Struggle (Eatnameamet).
• 5:30pm: Any Day Now (Ensilumi), the 2020 exploration of an Iranian refugee family awaiting asylum in present-day Finland.
• 7:30pm: Aki Kaurismäki’s 1985 near-cult film Calamari Union, a hilariously absurd tale centered on fourteen Finnish men all named Frank.

Sunday, Feb 5:

• 11:00am: Moomin Valley, a series of animated adventures that speak to the child in us all. Three episodes: Little My Moves In, Moominsummer Madness, Midwinter Ancestor. In English. Free. All ages.
• 1:00pm: University of Washington Scandinavian Studies Professor Dr. Andy Nestingen will give a talk “Adapting the Moomins.” How did Tove Jansson’s Moomins become a global phenomenon? They have appeared in novels, print cartoons, film, TV, on the stage, as figurines, in theme parks, and more. Are there original “Moomins”? Connecting the Moomins to Tove Jansson’s life, the lecture explores how Tove Jansson and other artists have adapted the Moomins in such a great variety of ways yet with such a durable set of values.
• 2:30pm: Tove (2020) depicts the unconventional artistic and love life of painter Tove Jansson, creator of the internationally acclaimed Moomin characters.
• 5:00pm: The Fencer (Miekkailija; 2015) tells the true story of a remarkable teacher and coach in Soviet Estonia.
• 7:30pm: Step back into the past with The White Reindeer (Valkoinen peura), the 1952 fantasy/horror film and winner of a Foreign Language Golden Globe.

Tickets are $10 per film ($5 students; free films specified), $25 per day (all films on Saturday or Sunday), $50 per weekend (all films Friday, Saturday, and Sunday).

More info on our website at https://www.ffsuomi.com/film-festival.html or Facebook (Finlandia Foundation Suomi Chapter Bellingham WA), where you can read more about the Film Showcase and how to purchase tickets. All films not in English will have English subtitles.