Timo Bredenberg‘s You Saw Nothing (featured image), Risto-Pekka Blom‘s Invasive Species, Marja Viitahuhta & Ánnámáret‘s Vuoiŋŋat (Spirits), Juha van Ingen‘s Monumental, Marja Helander &
Liselotte Wajstedt‘s In My Hand and Elli Vuorinen‘s Flower Show will compete in the Nordic Competition at the 38th Minimalen Short Film Festival, taking place from January 13th to 18th, 2026 in Trondheim, Norway.

You Saw Nothing (2025) explores algorithmic narratives of large language models and so-called generative AI. The starting point of the work was recontextualization of the sentence written by Marguerite Duras from the film “Hiroshima mon amour” (1959): “You didn’t see the hospital in Hiroshima”.

Risto-Pekka Blom’s Invasive Species (2025) includes a musical performance by an extremely harmful invasive species. Invasive species are a threat to biodiversity, including all other invasive species.

Vuoiŋŋat (Spirits) (2025) is a cameraless animation by visual artist and filmmaker Marja Viitahuhta brings to life the 1839 drawings of northern lights by French illustrator Louis Bévalet, drawn in the Alta region in Sápmi. This digital space is filled by the sound of the indigenous Sámi musician Ánnámáret yoiking the homeless spirits – Vuoiŋŋat – and her luohti is accompanied by Ilkka Heinonen’s jouhikko aka carelian bowed lyre and electronic music by Turkka Inkilä.

The work is dedicated to the memory of the Sámi ancestors who were exhumed from their graves in burial grounds in Sápmi approximately 100–150 years ago in the name of research carried out for racist reasons. Some of the remains have only recently been reburied in Sápmi.

Vuoiŋŋat is part of a long-term collaboration by the four-member team, which has produced a series of moving image works, two music albums, and performs live concerts together. The group is initiated and convened by Ánnámáret.

Juha van Ingen’s experimental documentary film Monumental has a cine-poetic structure and approaches film in the spirit of John Grierson’s definition of documentary as “the creative treatment of actuality.”

The film is made in Spoleto, Italy, and is inspired by the Sculpture in the City project curated by Giovanni Carandente in Spoleto in 1962, and more specifically by a large stabile by Alexander Calder, which remains a symbolic gateway to the town. 

Marja Helander & Liselotte Wajstedt’s In My Hand tells the story of the Sámi struggle on both a personal and historical level. The main character is Niillas Somby, a Sámi who is facing a 21-year prison sentence for attempted sabotage.

Courteous formality, allusive sexuality, and mysterious nature entwine at the annual flower show. During the celebration, wild flowers are stomped to the ground. In the woods, nature and fragile leg hairs continue to grow.

Elli Vuorinen’s poetic film Flower Show portrays a fragmented story of how girls have been cultivated like flowers for generations. We need more growing seasons to breed new ways into the system.

Minimalen Short Film Festival
January 13–18, 2026
Trondheim, Norway

More information: Minimalen

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!