Age rating: K-7

Published: March 7, 2024

Pihalla

“Pihalla” is a romantic dramedy about young adults – women and men, relationships and community, career pressures, and cultural encounters. Laura is a German housewife who moves to Finland with her husband for his job. At first, everything is difficult. Laura’s husband, Arto, is chronically busy with work, making it impossible to get to know people, and November in Tampere doesn’t show its best sides. By chance, Laura is mistaken for a single mother, she makes friends in a single-parent support group and gets to know Tero, who organizes music sessions for children in a nearby playground. As Laura’s relationship with Tero progresses, she starts to feel more comfortable in her new hometown.

Director:
Toni Laine

Starring:
Sibel Kekilli
Mikko Leppilampi
Teemu Palosaari
Sanna-June Hyde

Published: February 29, 2024

Shrek

“Shrek” is an animated film released in 2001. It tells the story of a green, yet kind-hearted ogre named Shrek, who lives alone and unappreciated in a swamp. However, Shrek’s peace is disturbed when the expulsion of fairy tale creatures is ordered to his swamp by the ruler of Duloc, Lord Farquaad.

Shrek wants to regain his peace, so he strikes a deal with Farquaad: he agrees to rescue Princess Fiona, so that Farquaad can marry her and Shrek can get his swamp back. On the journey to save the princess, Shrek receives help from a donkey named Donkey, who accompanies him on his adventures.

When Shrek and Donkey arrive at Princess Fiona’s castle, they realize that Fiona is not quite an ordinary princess. Along the way, Shrek and Fiona grow closer, but Shrek soon faces the truth about Farquaad’s true intentions.

“Shrek” is an adventure filled with humor, romance, and twists related to the world of fairy tale creatures. It has become known for its memorable characters, clever dialogue, and unique storytelling.

“Shrek” won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature at the 2001 Academy Awards. This was the first time the award for Best Animated Feature was presented, and “Shrek” was the first film to be honored in this category.

Published: February 22, 2024

The Prince of Soap

Ilona is a penniless amateur actor who, due to a misunderstanding, ends up working for the scriptwriting team of a soap opera. At the company’s party, she falls for the lead actor of the series, Kalle, and begins writing scenes based on the existing situation. The series producer, Raakel, becomes jealous of Kalle, and soon Ilona and Raakel engage in a battle for the heart of the leading star through the script. In this whirlwind, Kalle’s reality and the series intertwine, and the soap opera is ready! It’s outrageously funny!

Starring:
Pamela Tola
Mikko Leppilampi
Outi Mäenpää
Teijo Eloranta

Published: February 14, 2024

The Prince of Egypt

The movie is based on the story of Moses from the Bible. It follows Moses’ life as he faces challenges and trials while trying to free the Hebrews from slavery under the rule of the Egyptian Pharaoh.

The story begins when young Moses is saved from Pharaoh’s decree and grows up as a prince in Pharaoh’s palace. However, he eventually learns the truth about his origins and sets out to lead the Hebrews to freedom and the promised land, despite facing conflict with the Pharaoh and enduring challenging trials in the wilderness.

Themes of religion, identity, the pursuit of freedom, and accepting fate are explored in the movie. Its stunning animation and impactful music make it visually and emotionally compelling. “The Prince of Egypt” has proven to be popular among both children and adults, continuing to have an impact for decades.

The film won an Oscar for Best Original Song for “When You Believe”.

Published: February 1, 2024

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken

Sweet, clumsy 16-year-old Ruby Gillman desperately tries to fit into life at Oceanside High, but most of the time, she feels invisible. She tutors her skateboarding crush in math, who seems to only admire Ruby as a friend, and Ruby can’t hang out at the beach with the popular kids because her overprotective supermom has forbidden Ruby from going into the water. But when Ruby breaks her mom’s most important rule, she discovers that she is the descendant of the kraken warrior queens, inheriting the crown from her domineering grandmother, the Warrior Queen of the Seven Seas.

Published: January 16, 2024

Greatest Days

An uplifting story follows a group of five girls from their teenage years into adulthood. The highlight of their youth in the 1990s is a concert by the boy band they admire, and 25 years later, the friends get another opportunity to go see their favorite band. Over the years, their lives have changed in various ways, but an epic concert and the band that once bound them together help them realize that perhaps the finest moments of their friendship are yet to come.

The film is a timeless tale of the power of friendship and is based on the Take That hit musical “The Band,” featuring all the band’s greatest hits. Members of the legendary boy band, Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, and Howard Donald, have been involved in the making of the movie.

Published: January 16, 2024

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

For years, the turtle brothers have lived sheltered from the human world, but now they have decided to conquer the hearts of New Yorkers through their heroic deeds and be accepted as ordinary teenagers. With the help of their new friend April O’Neil, they fight against a mysterious criminal organization, but soon they face the ultimate challenge when a mutant army is unleashed upon them.

Published: January 9, 2024

Emmauksen tiellä

Rane returns to his hometown after 20 years and faces his memories and choices. The story, accompanied by popular songs, unfolds along the rural roads. The film breaks traditional storytelling by employing meta-cinematic techniques. The actors repeatedly refer to the film’s script, describing their characters and dramatic choices directly to the camera.

Sanna-Kaisa Palo won the Best Supporting Actress Jussi Award.

Starring:
Puntti Valtonen
Peter Franzén
Aake Kalliala

Published: January 8, 2024

The Last Wedding

The Last Wedding (orig. Kivenpyörittäjän kylä) is based on Heikki Turunen’s book of the same original name and depicts the final moments of Jerusalem, a village left behind by structural changes, encapsulating the beauty and misery of human life. Pekka returns after a long time to his hometown, the small village of Jerusalem, to celebrate the village’s last wedding. His own marriage seems to have reached a dead end. The village gathers to prepare for this final event, and within a single summer day, the bitter-sweet spectrum of human existence with its joys and sorrows seems to converge.

The film won three Jussi Awards: Best Film, Best Supporting Actor (Matti Varjo), and Best Direction (Markku Pölönen).

Starring:
Martti Suosalo
Jarmo Mäkinen
Henrika Andersson
Esko Nikkari
Rauha Valkonen

Published: January 5, 2024

Själö: Island of Souls

For centuries, a closed institution served as a final destination for socially transgressive women at Själö, an isolated island in the Baltic Sea. The outcast women were kept there in detention to be observed, studied, and measured – in much the same way as the scientists now focus on the surrounding nature at the research center the place has been converted to. While a young scientist is collecting samples on the island, the past emerges in the whispers of the unsent letters and empty rooms of the hospital. The space fills up with hidden memories as the invisible archives become alive. Whose stories are remembered and whose are forgotten?