Marja Helander’s Birds in the Earth (2017, in featured image) and Pia Andell’s short film Match (2018) are part of the new Finntastic! New Films from Finland film festival. The festival will be held in Washington D.C, on June 7-27 2023. Both films are part of “Female Gazes: short films” screening that takes place on Sunday, June 11 at 2 pm at the National Gallery. The event is free of charge.

In Andell’s Match there are two middle-aged women on a tennis court. One-hour match. One wants desperately to win, the other is afraid of competing. Will the breathing exercises be of any help?

Pia Andell (b.1964) has graduated from the University of Tampere and the University of Art and Design. She has directed documentaries and fiction films for three decades. Her films often explore personal or cultural identity and love. Andell has been awarded both in Finland and internationally. Born in Turku, Andell currently lives in Helsinki. Four Trick Pony is Pia Andell and Mina Laamo’s first collaborative new media work.

Marja Helander’s Birds in the Earth (Eatnanvuloš Lottit) is a short film based on dance. The main characters are two young Sámi ballet students; Birit and Katja Haarla. The movie tells a bit melancholic story through their dance performances. At the same time it examines the deeper questions of the ownership of Sámi land.

Marja Helander (b.1965) is a Finnish photographic and video artist. She graduated from the University of Art and Design in Helsinki in 1999. Her earlier work explored her own identity between the Finnish and the Sámi culture. Helander’s recent photographic work has focused on Northern landscape. The accent of the work is on the postcolonial topics in the Sámi area, focusing particularly on the global mining industry. The encounter between nature and mankind is not harmonious, but destructive. On the other hand, her video works are playful, exploring the contradiction between the traditional Sámi way of life and the modern society.

Finntastic! New Films from Finland film festival, June 7-27 2023, Washington D.C., U.S.

More info: Finntastic!

AV-arkki has promoted and distributed Finnish media art since 1989. AV-arkki’s promotional efforts have made the artists’ participation in this event possible. If you want to hear the latest news from our distribution, subscribe to our newsletter!