38th and 39th Helsinki International Film Festival - Love & Aanrchy 2025 - 2026

ongoing

Helsinki International Film Festival – Love & Anarchy (HIFF) is the biggest film festival in Finland, loved for its bold spirit and high quality programme, annually presenting around 270 films from over 60 countries and with an annual attendance of over 55 000 admissions. Against the backdrop of Finland’s relatively one-dimensional commercial distribution field, the diverse programme presented by HIFF is a crucial cornerstone of film culture. The 38th HIFF runs Sept. 18th-28th 2025 and the 39th from Sept. 17th-27th 2026, presenting the best of new European cinema (approx. 80-90% of films in the programme are European) with an emphasis on promoting filmmakers from Northern and Eastern Europe as well as new talent. Majority of the films will have their Finnish or Nordic premiere at HIFF. HIFF also serves as an essential launch platform for difficult-to-market European and arthouse films with Finnish distribution deals. As the film industry emerges from challenging pandemic years, HIFF has a key role in rebuilding and strengthening audience relationships in Finland to ensure a vibrant cinema future. Alongside films, HIFF again looks to attract audiences with a rich programme of events such as film literacy activities, talks, clubs and special screenings. Emphasis is on the diversity of voices in the programme and audience inclusivity. HIFF will also continue its commitment to making the event more environmentally sustainable, from production to presentation. The MEDIA support is crucial to the success of the festival. It enables HIFF to invest in the variety and promotion of its European programming, invite more European filmmaker guests to attend the festival, develop its film literacy and year-round activities as well as explore new digital solutions. The MEDIA support also assists HIFF’s collaborations with other national and international festivals and helps HIFF to develop the professional level and skills of its organisation and many year-round activites.