The gates to cinematic heaven are flown open on Thursday 19 September as the 37th Helsinki International Film Festival kicks off today. Ticket sales are in full swing, and over 30 screenings have already sold out.
The incomparable giant of European cinema, Pedro Almodóvar, makes his English language debut with The Room Next Door. The film blew the doors off at the Venice Film Festival and was awarded the festival’s highest honour, the Golden Lion, just two weeks ago. The brand-new film will be served fresh from the oven as part of Love & Anarchy’s Masters Gala. Supported by brilliant performances from Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore, Almodóvar’s new melodrama is a flourishing ode to life and an impactful statement on a dignified death and freedom of self-determination – topical questions of climate change also play a role in the film’s themes.
The Room Next Door at the Masters Gala on Sept 28th at 1:45pm in Bio Rex and in Cinema Orion. The Room Next Door will be seen in Finnish cinemas later this year. Tickets to the Masters Gala are on sale now!
Also added to the lineup is the moving documentary feature about a real-life hero, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story. The story of Christopher Reeve is an astonishing rise from unknown actor to iconic movie star, and his definitive portrayal of Clark Kent/Superman set the benchmark for the superhero cinematic universes that dominate cinema today. Reeve portrayed the Man of Steel in four Superman films and played dozens of other roles that displayed his talent and range as an actor, before being injured in a near-fatal horse-riding accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed from the neck down. After becoming a quadriplegic, he became a charismatic leader and activist in the quest to find a cure for spinal cord injuries, as well as a passionate advocate for disability rights and care – all while continuing his career in cinema in front of and behind the camera and dedicating himself to his beloved family. From the directors of McQueen, Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, this film includes never- before-seen intimate home movies and an extraordinary trove of personal archive material, as well as the first extended interviews ever filmed with Reeve’s three children about their father, and interviews with the A-list Hollywood actors who were Reeve’s colleagues and friends. The film is a moving and vivid cinematic telling of Reeve’s remarkable story.
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story on Sept 28th at 6:30pm in Kino Regina. Tickets to the screening are on sale now!
Ticket sales are in full swing!
This year’s launch of the ticket sales kicked off with great enthusiasm and altogether over 30 screenings have already sold out.
The biggest Love & Anarchy box office sensations of the year so far include our shiniest gems, the gala films Anora, The Substance, Megalopolis and The Seed of the Sacred Fig. Indie-hit I Saw the TV Glow, Oscar winner Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s latest film Evil Does Not Exist, and Cannes’ darling animation Flow are also proving to be hits with audiences.
The 37th annual Helsinki International Film Festival – Love & Anarchy will kick off in style on September 19 with the Palme d’Or-winning tragicomedy Anora.
The full programme and schedule: https://hiff.fi/en/ra2024/programme/