DocPoint – Helsinki Finnish Documentary programme

The national Jury of DocPoint – Helsinki Documentary Film Festival 2009 has selected this year’s Finnish documentary films. 11 films were selected from the 59 submitted for DocPoint’s New Finnish Documentary programme.
Documentary Films from Finnish Film Schools series will include 8 films selected from the 36 entries. DocPoint’s Special Screenings series will also include Finnish Films.

The five-member Jury changes every year, and has been in charge of choosing the best new domestic films since the beginning of the festival.
This year’s jury members were DocPoint’s Artistic Director Erkko Lyytinen, journalist Tuomas Enbuske, documentarist Sonja Lindén, director Aku Louhimies and researcher Aleksi Neuvonen. The Jury chose this year’s films based on creativity and cinematic expression.

Films selected to DocPoint’s New Finnish Documentaries series 2009 are:

Helsinki, Forever (dir. Peter von Bagh, Illume Oy) The Living Room of the Nation (dir. Jukka Kärkkäinen, Mouka Filmi Oy) Stone Pastures (dir. Donagh Coleman, Illume Oy) Death in a Modern Day Finland (dir. Antti Lempiäinen) Within Limits (dir. Annika Grof, Illume Oy) As Long As (dir. Katariina Järvi, Navy Blue Bird Oy) Niki and Niki's Brother (dir. Kirsi Mattila, Leino & Suvinen Production
Oy) Meaning of Life (dir. Visa Koiso-Kanttila, Guerilla Films) Sergei the Healer (dir. Juha Taskinen & Petteri Saario, Taiga Films Oy) Basket Case (dir. Oskari Pastila, Tuotantoyhtiö Kuvaputki Oy) God Only (dir. Satu Väätäinen, Road Movies Oy)

Quotation of the report from the domestic programme Jury: “Original works that posed new questions and presented novel viewpoints for the viewer stood out from the vast supply. At their best the chosen films succeeded in creating a piece of work unified in essence. Many films also exhibited the persistency of staying close to their protagonists as well as an ambitious realisation of form and visual expression. High level of quality is the only common feature of the chosen films, since thematically they are delightfully different this year. Societal topics and the film makers’
subjective experiences intertwine splendidly in this year’s programme.”

The 8th DocPoint – Helsinki Documentary Film Festival grows into a six-day event and it takes place in Helsinki downtown cinemas between 20th – 25th of January 2009.