Founded by producer Mete Sasioglu, actor Deniz Kaya, dramaturge Onerva Helne and journalist Aleksi Kinnunen, the Karhupuisto Film Festival, a new event in Helsinki, is unspooling from 8-12 September and prides itself on welcoming everybody.

Cineuropa: The situation in the Finnish film industry is a bit unstable at the moment. Why the decision to create another festival, or is it your response to that in some way?
Denis Kaya: The original idea was to organise an outdoor pop-up evening. Then it grew into a five-day festival.

Mete Sasioglu: It actually started out as a joke at this year’s Berlinale. The word nalle means teddy bear in Finnish. We laughed: “Why not hold a Berlinalle in Helsinki?” All of us live in the same neighbourhood in the city, around Karhupuisto – which means “Bear Park” in English. That’s when it became clear: we had to hold the festival there. It’s the most vibrant urban area in Finland.

What unites our team is that we work in different areas of the film and culture industry. Its instability is therefore reflected in our everyday lives. Concerns about the continuity of our work are a daily occurrence, but in Finland, the funding of the film industry has decreased significantly under the current government. Just this morning, we received the news that a third of the Finnish Film Foundation’s budget is to be cut, which is truly shocking.

DK: However, we have already received feedback that, in this situation, our event will bring something much needed to Helsinki: joy and a sense of community. Everyone is welcome to attend. We draw inspiration from Berlin’s Freiluftkino tradition and Italian outdoor screenings. The beginning of September is one of the only times of year when the weather in Finland allows for this kind of event.

We haven’t had time to apply for much funding. We received a small grant from the city of Helsinki, but this year’s event will be carried out at our own risk and with volunteers. Of course, thinking about the future, funding for the cultural sector is a concern.

This is an audience-friendly event – good films and no pressure when it comes to premieres. Would you like it to stay that way?
MS: We aim to showcase ambitious arthouse cinema – but not exclusively. What unites these movies is that they are urban stories set in cities. This could also become a recurring theme for the festival in the future, which fits well with the character of one of Finland’s most densely populated areas.

Karhupuisto Park [in Helsinki] is the heart of the festival, where we will host free screenings of modern classics, including Before Sunrise and The Great Beauty [+lee también:
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entrevista: Paolo Sorrentino
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You have launched exclusive merch and have local celebrities wearing it. Are you hoping to attract younger viewers?
DK: Our original idea was to reach everyone – especially the local residents of Kallio. You could say we’ve attracted younger audiences, but I believe everyone in the neighbourhood has a young spirit. Since our marketing budget is limited, we decided to launch our merch as early as possible, so it would be visible on the streets before the festival. Along the way, we asked some of our friends with larger Instagram audiences to wear it and help promote the festival. It’s been really rewarding to see how positively people have responded – to both the merch and the films.

MS: I think people want to come together to share experiences. Times are tough, news stories are often grim, and we need gatherings like this. We want to create a memorable festival, one that celebrates film and the arts, and one where people can also simply have fun.

The venues will be special: we’ll have a beautiful and atmospheric circus tent, which usually serves as the home of Martti Suosalo’s “Teatteri Sirkus Suosalo” touring theatre – he’s one of Finland’s most beloved actors. Our closing screening will take place at Kallio Church, built in 1912 and truly an impressive space. We’ll also host panel discussions and parties with DJs. Although the event is just a couple of days away, we still have some surprise programmes up our sleeves still to be announced.

DK: The local community in Kallio has truly embraced the festival as their own. People have been knocking on our office door every day, asking about the programme.

Kallio is an interesting place where artists and those down on their luck are always mixing. Will its specific atmosphere influence the festival?
DK: Our aim has been to bring all of the local vendors on board as festival partners – from the church to the bars, from the local beauty salons to the library. We truly hope everyone feels invited, no matter their background. I believe the spirit of Kallio will influence the festival in the best possible way.

MS: Although the neighbourhood has gone through significant gentrification and is now quite middle-class, you can still see people from all walks of life spending time in the park.

In my opinion, Kallio is the cultural hub of Helsinki, with a very distinctive character and history. The neighbourhood used to have many cinemas, but in recent years, the local cinema culture has almost disappeared – until now.