London, UK, October 1st, 2026 / Cinema Museum, London
MIDNIGHT SUN FILM FESTIVAL COMES TO LONDON FOR A ONE-OFF CELEBRATION OF FINNISH CINEMA (& MUSIC)
A landmark programme of rarely seen Finnish short films plus live music comes to London’s Cinema Museum following the festival’s 40th anniversary.
After four decades of bringing adventurous cinema to the Finnish Arctic Circle, the legendary Midnight Sun Film Festival is making a rare one-off pilgrimage to London’s Cinema Museum.
Founded in Finland by brothers Aki Kaurismäki and Mika Kaurismäki, the internationally renowned festival has become synonymous with bold filmmaking, unexpected discoveries and an atmosphere unlike any other film festival. Now, London audiences will have the opportunity to experience a specially curated selection of films drawn from the vaults of the Finnish Film Archive – from historic documentaries and feminist shorts to contemporary silent cinema and the anarchic early work of the Kaurismäki brothers.
The evening begins with Midnight Sun Film Festival (1987), Heikki Ortamo’s hilarious nine-minute introduction to the festival and its uniquely Finnish approach to cinema. The programme then moves through nearly a century of Finnish filmmaking, some accompanied by live scores from acclaimed Finnish musicians Lau Nau and Henri Utan K.
Highlights include Jean Sibelius at Home (1927), a charming portrait of the legendary Finnish composer and his family, and Once Upon Time There Was Winter – and Snow (1934), an atmospheric glimpse of Finland’s snowy landscapes and rapidly modernising society. Varala, Women’s Paradise (1947) celebrates the pioneering women’s physical education institute in the second city, Tampere, while Aki Kaurismäki’s Rocky VI (1986) delivers a characteristically deadpan Finnish parody of the Hollywood boxing blockbuster.
The programme also brings silent cinema firmly into the present with A Planet Far Away (2023), by Cannes-winning director Juho Kuosmanen (Compartment No. 6). Created using handmade cinematic trickery, the film tells the strange and touching story of a lighthouse keeper and her young brother, accompanied live by Lau Nau and Henri Utan K.
After the interval, the programme turns to two distinctive pieces of Finnish film history. In The Foundry (2007), Aki Kaurismäki observes workers in his hometown of Karkkila watching the Lumière brothers’ La Sortie de l’usine Lumière à Lyon – a playful meditation on cinema, labour and the passage of time.
This is followed by Eila Kaarresalo-Kasari’s Finnish Frustrations (1969), a groundbreaking feminist short that uses a stark, seven-minute portrait of courtship and sexual inequality to expose the frustrations embedded in everyday social life.
The evening concludes with a rare 35mm screening of The Liar (1981), Mika Kaurismäki’s debut feature, written by and starring his brother Aki. Set in Helsinki, the film follows the mischievous Ville Alfa as he walks the streets of the capital, telling stories, spinning lies and scamming money from friends. All for more drink and more women. Avoidable obstacles to becoming a serious writer. Funny, irreverent and steeped in the spirit of the French New Wave, The Liar announced the arrival of a distinctive new voice in Finnish cinema.
LIVE MUSIC
The programme continues Midnight Sun’s long tradition of reimagining silent cinema through contemporary live music.
Lau Nau, aka Laura Naukkarinen, is a Finnish composer and sound artist whose work combines traditional instruments, voice, modular synthesisers and field recordings. She has released music internationally and performed live accompaniment to silent films at festivals including Midnight Sun Film Festival, San Francisco Silent Film Festival and Bologna’s Il Cinema Ritrovato.
Henri Utan K, the moniker of Finnish-born, London-based experimental guitarist and composer Henri Växby, works between composition and improvisation, combining dissonance, ambient drones and hypnotic soundscapes. His work has featured on BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 3, as well as at London’s Cafe OTO and international new-music festivals.
For one night only, the spirit of Finland’s legendary festival will cross Europe to meet London’s own film culture – bringing archival discoveries, contemporary filmmaking, live music and the irreverent cinematic world of the Kaurismäki brothers to the Cinema Museum.
Tervetuloa! (a warm welcome).
EVENT INFORMATION
MIDNIGHT SUN FILM FESTIVAL IN LONDON Venue: Cinema Museum, London Date: 1/10/2026 Doors / Introduction: 7:00pm Duration: Approximately 2½ hours, including interval Formats: 35mm, 16mm and DCP Live accompaniment: Lau Nau and Henri Utan K
PROGRAMME:
Midnight Sun Film Festival (Heikki Ortamo, 1987)
Jean Sibelius at Home (Aho & Soldan, 1927)
Once Upon Time There Was Winter – and Snow (Unknown, 1934)
Varala, Women’s Paradise (Aimo Jäderholm, 1947)
Rocky VI (Aki Kaurismäki, 1986)
A Planet Far Away (Juho Kuosmanen, 2023)
The Foundry (Aki Kaurismäki, 2007)
Finnish Frustrations (Eila Kaarresalo-Kasari, 1969)
The Liar (Mika Kaurismäki, 1981)
Responses