New, brilliant additions to MSFF programme
Jauja by Lisandro Alonso will be one of the new films screened in Sodankylä.
Malgorzata Szumowska, winner of the Silver Bear for Best Director in Berlin Film Festival, as well as Miguel Gomes, one of the most eminent directors of Portugal, reinforce the list of international guests of Midnight Sun Film Festival 2015.
In 2014, Midnight Sun Film Festival was honored to host esteemed Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski. This summer, Malgorzata Szumowska (b. 1973), the leading female director of Poland and winner of Berlin Film Festival’s best director’s award, is going to arrive in Sodankylä.
Szumowska’s latest film, Body (2015), is a dark, humorous exploration of death and anorexia from the point of view of a widowed policeman, his daughter and a hoax therapist. In the Name Of (2013) is a thriller-like portrayal of purgatory of a catholic gay priest. Former works of Szumowska will also be screened in Sodankylä.
Miguel Gomes (b. 1972), an ex-critic and nowadays one of the most eminent directors in Portugal, will bring his latest work to Lapland. Arabian Nights (2015), a six-hour (!), three-part adaptation of One Thousand and One Nights, has been one of the talking points of this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Meanwhile Tabu (2012), a homage to silent film, is a magically dream-like composition of love, memories and colonial history of Portugal.
MASTER CLASSES
As always, international top experts will introduce some of the most influential films in the history of cinema during MSFF.
Lecturers of this year’s Master Classes are Bernard Eisenschitz, a French critic; Miguel Marías, a Spanish critic; and Gian Luca Farinelli, festival leader of Bologna’s annual Il Cinema Ritrovato. Among other things, Eisenschitz, Marías and Farinelli will analyze the favorite films of Peter von Bagh, the late co-founder of Midnight Sun Film Festival.
Olaf Möller, a German critic as well as MSFF enthusiast, will display previously unknown Slovakian treasures of 1960’s and 70’s to the festival audience.
SILENT FILMS
Jacques Feyder was one of the most remarkable French directors in 1920s and ‘30s. His The New Gentlemen (Les Nouveaux Messieurs, 1929) is one of the wittiest, most sophisticated French comedy films ever made.
The New Gentlemen, led by Gaby Morlay and Albert Préjean, was also a source of heavy gossip back in the days. The film was eventually censored for satirizing French parliament so harshly.
Frank Borzage’s Lucky Star (1929) belongs to the category of coarse melodrama, just like many major works of King Vidor and F.W. Murnau. It also was the beautiful swan song of Borzage’s silent film period.
Young, wheelchair-bound war veteran (Charles Ferrell) falls in love with shabby wildling of a girl next door (Janet Gaynor), but is met with a legion of rival suitors. In the end, will love be strong enough to overthrow all the obstacles?
The one and only Antonio Coppola will lead the great Avanti! -orchestra at the screening of The New Gentlemen and accompany Lucky Star with his piano.
KARAOKE DELIGHTS
The jolly, entertaining film karaoke has spread to all corners of the world from Sodankylä during these past years. In celebration of 30th Midnight Sun Film Festival, there will be three karaoke screenings.
The first two karaoke screenings will bring Finnish classics to the limelight. Rovaniemen markkinoilla and Suomifilmi-sing-along provide our audience with excellent chance to roar domestic evergreens in company of good people!
The third karaoke screening is Purple Rain, the smash hit of Prince, the renaissance genius of R&B, soul, funk and disco. Power ballads, erotic funk-pop and hilarious 1980s ingredients spice up this musical drama potpourri in spirit of Dean and Brando.
70MM & 3D
After 29 years of service, Midnight Sun Film Festival’s old circus tent has been forced to retirement. This summer, we will be able to arrange our screenings in a tent even bigger than before and pamper our audience with major motion pictures from 70mm film reels. The final list of 70mm films will be confirmed later, but we are already proud to assure that 2001: A Space Odyssey belongs to the list.
In “Festival Palace” Lapinsuu, film enthusiasts have the possibility to explore the world of 3D film. Among these, Jean-Luc Godard’s Goodbye to Language represents the tradition of avant-garde while Hongkonger Tsui Hark’s The Taking of the Tiger Mountain is an epic war adventure.
The full list of new international films, led by Godard’s newest, will be confirmed later. Iranian Jafar Panah’s Taxi, the winner of the Golden Bear of Berlin Film Festival, Locarno Golden Leopard winner From What Is Before by Filipino Lav Diaz, Bruno Dumont’s lauded French miniseries comedy P’tit Quinquin as well as Jauja by Argentinian Lisandro Alonso will also be screened in Sodankylä.
….AND MUCH, MUCH MORE
Our guests are warmly welcome to festival clubs of Hotel Sodankylä every evening from Wednesday 10th of June to Saturday 13th of June to enjoy the company of good people and the presence of brilliant domestic live music.
Traditions will be followed: as in previous years, the presentation of annual Sodankylä award, as well as the notorious Finland vs. Globalization soccer game – not to forget the delightful set of children’s films – are integral parts of MSFF in 2015.
Be sure to pay attention to our website during weeks to come and see what else MSFF has to offer in 2015!
