The Helsinki Film Festival 2021 (HIFF) is an annual festival organised by an independent, non-profit organisation, the Helsinki International Film Festival – Love & Anarchy association. This year’s festival, which will take place from Thursday, September 16 to Sunday, September 26, will include a curated selection of films in the African Express catalogue. Additionally, African short films will be showcased in the Short Station catalogue. Both catalogues celebrate the voices of the continent’s filmmakers as they explore the diversity of Africanness. The films were chosen in collaboration with Think Africa, Ubuntu Film Club, the Moroccan and Tunisian embassies in Finland and the National Audiovisual Institute. Below we list the African feature films to expect as well as the screening dates and venues.
Think Africa will be hosting a panel discussion during this year’s festival titled: Directors’ Perspectives on Tales Told, moderated by Akin Akinsola. On the panel is some of Africa and her diaspora’s highly talented film-makers:
Moroccan Mohamed El Aboudi graduated with a BA in Theatre Studies from the University of Fes in Morocco and with an MA in Film & Television from Bond University in Australia. El Aboudi has directed four feature-length documentaries. His Dance of Outlaws (2012) has won numerous awards, including the Premio Zonta Club Locarno prize and a humanitarian award at DokuFest in Kosovo. El Aboudi, who has lived in Finland since 2002, has also directed over 30 short documentaries for television, some of which have been nominated for the Prix Europa and been presented at numerous festivals. His newest film ” School of Hope” premiered and won the Jury prize in Hot Docs, one of the best film festivals in the world. It has already been selected to more than 25 film festivals around the world.
Fiona Musanga is a Rwandese filmmaker, writer and painter based in Helsinki. Musanga wrote, directed and produced two short films titled Don’t worry and Alonely. Currently she is completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Culture and Fine Arts. In addition to her studies, Musanga is in the making of her third short film which is set to begin shooting in the fall of 2022. Musanga is also one of the founding members of Ubuntu Film Club, a collective that has been active since 2019, hosting film screenings and panel discussions all around Helsinki. https://www.fionamusanga.com/
Sofia Alaoui spent her childhood between Morocco and elsewhere in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. She has directed both documentary and fiction shorts that have been selected for many festivals. Her latest documentary was released on the Moroccan main channel in 2019. Sofia is aiming for a cinema beyond borders that flirts with cinematographic genres. She is currently developing her first feature and TV series. She founded the Moroccan production company Jiango Film. She has directed one of Short Station catalogue, titled So What if the Goats Die. Watch the trailer here.
Sam Soko is an award-winning director, producer, and editor based in Nairobi, Kenya. He is co-founder of LBx Africa, a Kenyan production company that works to bring uniquely African perspectives to global audiences. LBx Africa produced the 2018 Academy Award–nominated short Watu Wote. His first feature-documentary Softie, in HIFF’s African Express catalogue, is a story about balancing the deep love of country with the needs of family, premiered at Sundance 2020, winning a special jury prize for editing. Soko is an outspoken defender of freedom of expression and has taken part in global conversations on how to make media matter when the world is on fire. Watch the Softie trailer here.
Join the conversation with a live panel discussion broadcast on Think Africa’s Instagram page at 17:00 on Wednesday, September 22 or catch it live at Festival Center Bio Rex .
“For generations, the only story for Africa has been one of despair. At Think Africa, we neither wish to pretend that Africa’s many serious problems should be played down or ignored nor encourage the promotion of only positive images. However, we believe that Africans should be able to tell their stories. We need to diversify the larger narrative about African countries and African people”, Think Africa’s Chairperson, Myriam Munezero.
Let us support films from Africa and her diaspora by attending Helsinki’s celebration of cinema.
Tickets are now on sale.
See the list of all the films in the African Express, as well as their screening times and venues:
22.9. klo 21:00, Maxim 1
24.9. klo 18:45, Kino Regina
18.9. klo 16:30, Kino Regina
25.9. klo 21:15, Kino Regina
17.9. klo 16:45, Kinopalatsi 1
18.9. klo 13:00, Kinopalatsi 8
19.9. klo 18:00, Finnkino Itis 7
23.9. klo 15:00, Maxim 2
24.9. klo 17:00, Maxim 2
17.9. klo 18:00, Finnkino Itis 7
18.9. klo 18:15, Kinopalatsi 10
20.9. klo 18:30, Kinopalatsi 10
22.9. klo 20:45, Korjaamo Kino Töölö
20.9. klo 21:00, Kino Regina
17.9. klo 18:30, Kino Regina
18.9. klo 21:00, Kino Regina
19.9. klo 20:00, Finnkino Itis 7
22.9. klo 14:15, Bio Rex
23.9. klo 21:00, Korjaamo Kino Töölö
25.9. klo 18:45, Cinema Orion
20.9. klo 18:45, Kino Regina
18.9. klo 18:30, Kino Engel 2
20.9. klo 16:00, Kinopalatsi 7
24.9. klo 21:00, Kino Engel 2
26.9. klo 16:00, Kino Engel 2
18.9. klo 18:00, Finnkino Itis 7
19.9. klo 18:30, Cinema Orion
22.9. klo 18:30, Cinema Orion
25.9. klo 16:15, Maxim 2
17.9. klo 20:30, Finnkino Itis 7
19.9. klo 21:00, Korjaamo Kino Töölö
20.9. klo 20:30, Maxim 2
21.9. klo 12:00, Festival Scope online screening
23.9. klo 21:00, Tripla Bio Rex 4
18.9. klo 15:45, Cinema Orion
18.9. klo 20:30, Finnkino Itis 7
21.9. klo 18:30, Korjaamo Kino Töölö
21.9. klo 19:00, Kinopalatsi 1
22.9. klo 14:00, Maxim 1
24.9. klo 16:15, Maxim 1
22.9. klo 18:30, Bio Rex
22.9. klo 21:00, Bio Rex
26.9. klo 14:00, Finnkino Itis 2
26.9. klo 16:45, Finnkino Itis 2
25.9. klo 20:45, Kinopalatsi 10
