Love & Anarchy
17.–27.9.2026

Founded in 1988, the Helsinki International Film Festival – Love & Anarchy has been held annually ever since. The aim of Finland’s biggest film festival is to promote the artistry of filmmaking alongside inventive, controversial and visually stunning new films. The festival also seeks to screen films that would otherwise not be seen in Finnish theatres.

The festival programme consists of new films from well-known filmmakers and fresh talents alike. In its first few years the programme was heavily focused on Japanese and Hong Kong films. Since then, the programme has evolved; Asian films still play a part but films from all other continents feature too. The ideological masters of the festival aren’t too tough to pick out – Lina Wertmüller (Love and Anarchy, 1973), Wong Kar-wai, Spike Lee, Claire Denis, Peter Greenaway, Gaspar Noé, Kelly Reichardt, John Woo, David Cronenberg, Takeshi Kitano, Todd Solondz, Takashi Miike and Hayao Miyazaki are all names that pop up in the festival programme year and decade after another.

During its over 30-year lifespan, the Helsinki International Film Festival has expanded from two theatres to 18 screens and established itself as an 11-day homage to cinema. In 1988 the festival screened 26 films. In 2020, the programme consisted of 140 feature films and 170 short films. In 2018 HIFF launched its R&A Shorts National Competition.

The 2024 festival gathered approximately 55 000 visitors.

Each year HIFF invites important filmmakers to speak about their work and meet both audiences and industry professionals. In past years the festival has had the honour of welcoming guests such as Spike Lee, Danny Boyle, Tilda Swinton, Naoko Ogigami, Jan Kounen, Aleksandr Sokurov, Baz Luhrmann, Philip Ridley, Nicolas Winding Refn, Jacques Audiard, Lucile Hadžihalilović, Terence Davies, Cristian Mungiu and Timothy Spall.

The festival is organised by the Helsinki International Film Festival – Love & Anarchy association.

The festival is supported by the Finnish Film Foundation, the City of Helsinki and the European Union’s Creative Europe MEDIA programme.

Come build Love & Anarchy with us!

The application form for volunteer positions for the 2026 Love & Anarchy festival and industry event Finnish Film Affair is now open! Apply below. Before applying, please take a moment to read more about the different volunteer positions. Any questions regarding volunteering at Love & Anarchy (e.g. accessible work positions or locations) can be sent to Theatre and Staff Producer Riikka Haapanen (riikka@hiff.fi). 

The form will close on 19.7.2026. We will begin processing the applications after midsummer, and we will fill in positions already during the application period, so if you are interested in specific tasks, we recommend that you apply early in summer. 

Each volunteer will receive a festival T-shirt, food vouchers, invitations to both wrap-up-party and volunteer screening, and depending on the number of hours and tasks, a personal STAFF pass and/or complimentary tickets. 

• We’ll give a STAFF pass for all those who work a minimum of 25 hours before or during the festival. With a STAFF pass you can access all the screenings that have seats available (excluding special screenings).
• For those who commit to under 25 hours, we’ll give complimentary tickets as compensation for their efforts (1 pcs + food voucher / 5 hours of volunteering).

Love & Anarchy and Finnish Film Affair are made possible by 200-300 volunteers yearly, united by their love for film. We warmly welcome new applicants and experienced festival veterans from all ages, genders, and backgrounds.

Volunteer positions in a nutshell:

Ushers & Theatre Supervisors
Ushers and theatre supervisors work at the cinemas during the festival. There’s about 10 festival cinemas, and they are operated by volunteers in teams of 2-5 people. The teams consist of a theatre supervisor and ushers. Ushers have a wide range of customer service tasks: they scan tickets, answer questions and guide customers, and make sure the venue is tidy. Ushers are right in the center of the festival atmosphere, so the position suits first-timers looking to get to know Love & Anarchy. If possible, we encourage ushers to choose shifts from 1 or 2 theaters, so that they can familiarise themselves with the venues.

Theatre supervisors guide and lead ushers, help with customer service, and make sure that everything runs smoothly and in accordance with the schedule. They are the contact points between the venue and the festival management. The Theatre and Staff Producer works closely with the supervisors and supports them in challenging situations. If possible, we encourage supervisors to choose shifts from 1 or 2 theaters, so that they can familiarise themselves with the venues.

Tthe theatre supervisor position is a very independent one and thus includes a greater degree of responsibility. We hope that the theatre supervisors have previous experience in working at festivals or experience from customer service. Due to the independent nature of the task, supervisors get an extra benefit of Finnkino tickets. 

“Pulpettikino” school screenings

“Pulpettikino” school screenings are aimed at children. They are a part of Love & Anarchy’s media education initiative. The school screenings are suited for calm volunteers who enjoy the presence of children. The volunteer tasks include guiding the children and their teachers, presenting the films, and taking care of the general tidiness of the venue. The school screenings team is supported by the Pulpettikino programmer, the production assistant, and the staff coordinator. Please note that the shifts are on weekday mornings and afternoons. This year we have school screenings in downtown Helsinki and East Helsinki. We attempt to schedule the shifts so that the volunteers have all their shifts in the same theater. This way they can familiarise themselves with the venue.

Customer service team

This year, we have combined the info team and ticket sales team into one customer service team. The team will have shifts available both before and during the festival. The team members acquaint themselves with the festival and the programming in advance, so that they can answer customers’, volunteers’, and guests’ questions related to the cinemas, films, and events. The team also sells tickets and processes ticket-related inquiries. In addition, they also accredit other volunteers for the festival. Prior knowledge of ticketing systems is not necessary, we will provide training before the festival. However, please note that since the ticketing system is in Finnish, you need to have a relatively good grasp of Finnish language to be able to participate in this team. The customer service team will receive additional complimentary tickets as an extra benefit due to the independent nature of the task.

During the festival the festival centre will be located in Bio Rex Lasipalatsi. Finnkino Kinopalatsi will also have a smaller customer service point. 

Distribution (advance team)

The distribution team delivers programme brochures and posters to selected locations before the festival. The task will be done on foot, by public transportation, or with the assistance of our festival drivers. All you need is a cheery attitude and courage to get to know Helsinki, so the position suits first-timers very well. HIFF will participate in some events prior to the festival where volunteers can also take shifts to distribute materials there instead of regular street distribution.

Logistics

The drivers in the logistics team participate in brochure distribution before the festival. They also help with building and dismantling the festival. During the festival they transport materials and guests. The festival provides cars. The task requires a valid driver’s license and good knowledge of the Helsinki downtown area. The logistics team will co-operate with hosts, and the team is overseen by the Logistics and Guests Coordinator.

Events Team

The events team helps build and manage additional events during the festival. The events may include discussion panels and special screenings. The tasks include guiding customers, checking participants, taking care of mics, and helping with refreshments. The team participates in building and decorating the festival centre.

Finnish Film Affair
Love & Anarchy’s international industry event Finnish Film Affair will be held on 23-25 September, 2026. FFA is a showcase of upcoming Nordic films and is attended by over 500 film industry professionals yearly from around the world. FFA includes panel discussions, workshops, networking and pitching events. Volunteers greet and guide guests, help furnish spaces and manage events, and run errands. Due to the international nature of FFA, a lot of the work is done in English. Other languages may be beneficial. If you are a film student or a person interested in film industry or event management, this position suits you well. Contact industry@hiff.fi if you have any additional questions about volunteering at FFA.

Photographers and Videographers

The festival looks for several videographers and photographers who are interested in event photography and/or videography. The gigs include, for example, taking photos and video clips of the general festival atmosphere, our guests, and the key moments, such as galas and Q&A discussions. The team is required to use their own equipment and editing software. The festival compensates for it by providing a festival pass / complimentary tickets (if you are already eligible for the pass). The material will be used in marketing, social media channels, and the festival website. We will always credit the photographer / videographer in question. The team will be guided by an experienced photography coordinator and the communications team.

Communications

The communications team works under the guidance of the Communications Manager and the Editor-in-Chief. The communications team has shifts available mainly during the festival. The team provides video and text content for the social media channels and the festival website. The content varies from short social media posts and videos to longer interviews. During the festival the volunteers work in pairs in the festival venues. The task requires an excellent command of written Finnish. The task also requires a laptop and / or phone. Let us know in the application if you’d prefer borrowing equipment from the festival.

Translators

Translators work independently and remotely, mainly before the festival. The communications manager and communications coordinator will guide their work. The translations are done from Finnish to English and occasionally from English to Finnish, so the task requires an excellent command of written English and Finnish. We hope that you have some prior experience in translating.

Special Task Force
The team’s tasks include various ad hoc jobs before and during the festival. Tasks may include but are not limited to office work, filling in for customer service, delivering items, building and decorating the festival center, and working as a runner. The team gets to experience festival production from various aspects, so the team suits first-timers very well. It is also a great opportunity for those who love a bit of an adventure – at the special task force, no day is quite like the other! During the festival, the special task force starts their shifts at the festival center that is located at Bio Rex Lasipalatsi. Before the festival, the team helps the festival production team at the office (Bulevardi 5).

The volunteers can also book on-call shifts. During the on-call shifts, the volunteer commits to being available during the on-call hours in case someone gets sick and needs filling in, or something urgent and unexpected comes up. You can hang about home or at the movies during the on-call shifts, as long as we can reach you by phone.

Lounge

A dedicated lounge team will take care of the volunteer lounge while there are on-going screenings at the festival center. The team’s tasks include preparing snacks, making coffee, collecting feedback and development ideas from other volunteers, and looking after the tidiness of the place. In addition, they may assist the special task force in running little errands during peak hours. The task doesn’t include physically demanding work, and the shifts are mostly peaceful. If you want to meet other volunteers and enjoy the festival atmosphere right at the center where everything happens, this team is for you! The tasks are done usually in teams of two, depending on the time of the day.

Hosts
For international guests Love & Anarchy has traditionally arranged personal hosts. These volunteers will work as local guides for the guests. Hosts provide assistance during guests’ visit to Finland – from the moment they land to their departure. Hosts make sure that the guests enjoy their stay. They also ensure that the guests are familiar with their schedules and are on time at various events. The host position is very independent and hence a position of a greater responsibility, so we look for volunteers who have prior experience in hosting or people who have a suitable background due to their profession, hobbies, or interests. Hosts work closely with the logistics team, the logistics coordinator, and the guest coordinator.

Apply to volunteer at HIFF by filling out this form!

Early Bird serial cards 2026 on sale until 31 August 

Regular priced serial cards will be on sale on 1 September.
Early Bird prices:

• HURMIO (6 tickets)  73 € (regular 1.9. -> 78 €)
• PARATIISI (12 tickets) 134 € (regular 1.9. -> 144 €)
• EUFORIA (20 tickets) 200 € (regular 1.9. -> 220 €)

All prices include VAT. Tickets for the gala screenings can be redeemed with a serial card by paying an additional fee of €3. For students, people over 70 and unemployed jobseekers, the festival offers all serial cards at reduced prices, which are the same as the Early Bird prices.

Discount group tickets will be on sale in the festival’s online shop from 1 September. Be prepared to prove your eligibility for the discount at the ticket control in the cinema.

Early Bird serial cards can be purchased at https://hiff.fi/en/serial-cards/ 

Individual screening tickets

Love & Anarchy individual ticket prices 2026:

• REGULAR TICKET 14 €
• REGULAR TICKET FOR DISCOUNT GROUPS 13€ (students/unemployed job seekers/over 70s)
• GALA TICKET 17 €

Love & Anarchy ticket sales 2026 

More information on ticket sales will be published simultaneously with the start of the sale of regular-price serial cards on Monday, 31st of August. The entire festival programme will be released on Tuesday, 1st of September. Individual screening tickets for gala screenings will go on sale on Wednesday 2nd September and individual screening tickets for other screenings will go on sale on Friday 4th of September. All tickets are available in our online store and at ticket sales points.The locations and opening hours of the ticket sales points will be announced later in August. 

Payment Methods

Online

ePassi
Online banking (Nordea, Osuuspankki, Danske Bank, Aktia, Säästöpankki, POP Pankki, S-pankki, Handelsbanken and Ålandsbanken)
Visa and Mastercard
Smartum

The festival staff and their contact information can be found on the Contact page.

The submission for the 2026 competition is open from March 2 until May 15.

The submission for the R&A Shorts National Competition is open for fiction, documentary or animated films that are max. 30 minutes long. The production or co-production country of the film must be Finland. The competition line-up is selected by members of the Love & Anarchy Festival Ministry. An independent jury of professionals appointed by the festival will choose the winners. The competition is organised by the Helsinki International Film Festival – Love & Anarchy association. All films selected for the competition will be screened as part of the 39th Love & Anarchy festival 17.–27.9.2026. 

The main prize is the R&A Shorts Award which is a monetary award. The Finnish Film Foundation’s New Wave Award will be given to a new talent whose short film represents the bright tomorrow of Finnish film. The purpose of the award is to support the professional career of a promising new filmmaker working with the short film format. Established in 2021 in collaboration with AMPI, the Moving People and Images Award is sponsored by the Finnish Film Foundation. It is given to a filmmaker whose work emphasises inclusion and diversity.

The Best Student Film Award is an accreditation to the Love & Anarchy festival and Finnish Film Affair industry event in 2027. Student films also compete for all the other prizes. In addition, all 2026 competition films will compete for the Audience Award, which is a product prize given to the director.

The national competition, which has been organized since 2018, presents a wide range of the high level of Finnish short films through professional and student works. In 2025, Sherwan Haji’s film My Name is Hope won the main prize.

Eligibility

• You can apply with a fiction, documentary or animation film that is maximum 30 min long. Music films are not eligible.
• The film was completed after the 1st of January 2025.
• Only completed films are eligible.
• Premiere status is not required.
• Finland must be the production or co-production country (Finnish production company/school involved or part of the funding from Finland).
• Entry form must include a preview link for the completed film (subtitles not mandatory in this version).
• The films selected to the competition must deliver the screening copy in DCP format with English subtitles (if not spoken in English).
• The festival does not pay screening fees for competition films.
• The film can be submitted only by the rights holder of the film who by submitting the film gives consent to a possible screening of the film in the competition. The selections are final and there is no short-list system in place.

Film submission

• There is no submission fee.
• Fill out the entry form carefully, information (credits, synopsis, film stills) entered into the form will be directly used in festival communications.
• A confirmation message for successfully submitting the form is automatically sent to the contact person’s email address.
• The submission form is open from 2 March until 15 May 2026 at 23:59.

Selected films

• The festival will notify all the entrants of their selection or non-selection by 26 June 2026. If selected, an email is sent to the addresses of the contact person and director/s. If not selected an email is sent to the address of the contact person.
• The films selected for the competition must deliver the screening copy in DCP by 14 August 2026.
• The competition line-up will be published in August at the festival’s website.

Helsinki International Film Festival – Love & Anarchy Association reserves the right to make changes.

Apply here!

For more information, please contact:
Annu Suvanto, Film Programmer (R&A Shorts)
annu@hiff.fi
+358 50 364 3683

With the following principles, we commit to making our spaces and events safer for everyone. Safe space means that everyone has the freedom to fully be themselves and participate in all activities without fear of scorn or discrimination. We understand that it isn’t possible to create a space that is completely safe for everyone, but it is vital for us to strive for that goal in all our actions.

• Everyone is treated equally and with respect. We intervene in any cases of discrimination, harassment or other unsuitable behavior. We do not accept racism, ableism or verbal or physical discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation. When needed, the person behaving in an unsuitable manner will be removed from the space.
• We do not presume consent, but ask for it.
• Everyone has a right to self-determination. We do not generalize or make presumptions about anyone’s background, experiences, gender or sexuality.
• We understand that we come from different backgrounds, experiences, circumstances and that we can disagree on things. Still, we strive for respectful interactions.
• We acknowledge that all our spaces are not accessible for everyone. We develop the accessibility of our events.
• Our spaces and events are photographed. We inform the audience about this. If you do not want to be photographed, please let our staff know. If you take pictures in our events, please make sure that you have permission from the people who you are photographing.
• We are not perfect, and sometimes we fail. We encourage everyone to take responsibility for their words, actions and failures. Sometimes, an apology is necessary. 
• We promise to support you. In all our events, we have a dedicated person to whom you can report any harassment, discrimination or other unsuitable behavior. You can also give feedback about our events after the fact and anonymously through this form.
• You can give us feedback and suggestions for changes to these principles for safer space through an anonymous form here.

Pulpettikino is the festival’s film education project that offers kindergarteners, pupils and their teachers in Helsinki the opportunity to learn about film by participating in Finland’s largest film festival for free. We offer a festival visit for thousands of children each year.

Helsinki International Film Festival – Love & Anarchy is an invitation-based festival, and we do not have an official submission process. We are a non-competitive festival outside of our National Competition for Finnish shorts. The festival films are selected by the programming team.

You are welcome to submit your film for the festival by filling out the form linked below. We cannot guarantee watching films submitted through the form. You can send us films of any length, but please note that we have a separate submission form for the National Competition for Finnish short films (link to the form can be found under National Competition on this page).

We will only contact you if your film is selected to the festival. If you do not hear from us by August 1, your film has not been selected to the programme this year.

The 39th Love & Anarchy Festival will take place 17–27 September 2026. The submission form is open until June 30.

You can submit your film by filling out the form through this link.

R&A films coming to cinemas after the festival

Premiere 24.9.
Eagles of the Republic (dir. Tarik Saleh)

Premiere 26.9.
E (ohj. Anna Eriksson)
Chuckin ihmeellinen elämä (dir. Mike Flanagan)

Premiere 3.10.
Gaucho, Gaucho (dir. Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw)

Premiere 17.10.
Sentimental Value (dir. Joachim Trier)
Rebellion for Future (dir. Saku Soukka)

Premiere 24.10.
Exit 8 (dir. Genki Kawamura)
What Does That Nature Say to You (dir. Hong Sang-soo)

Premiere 31.10.
Sorry, Baby (dir. Eva Victor)

Premiere 21.11.
Small Things Like These (dir. Tim Mielants)

Coming to cinemas, premiere to be announced:
Sirât (dir. Oliver Laxe)
Nouvelle Vague (dir. Richard Linklater)
It Was Just An Accident (dir. Jafar Panahi)
Sound of Falling (dir. Mascha Schilinski)
Romería (dir. Carla Simón)
The Little Sister (dir. Hafsia Herzi)

The following films from the 2025 Love & Anarchy programme can be seen after the festival on our partner Yle’s channels and Yle Areena! Find up-to-date information about the films’ availability on Yle Areena.

The Black Hole
Boy from Heaven
E
Eagles of the Republic
The End
Safe House
PMMP keikalla: Ei enää ikinä
Quiet Life