The 40th Midnight Sun Film Festival (June 11–15, 2025) was celebrated in a joyful atmosphere. Thanks to the new screening venue, the Red tent, ticket availability improved significantly, enhancing audience satisfaction. This year’s festival achieved the second-highest attendance in its history.
The festival, which concluded on Sunday, drew attention with highlights such as musician Herra Ylppö’s directorial debut Kronos Kairos (2025), Dreams (2024) by Norwegian director Dag Johan Haugerud – winner of the top prize at the Berlin Film Festival – the 40th anniversary screening of Aki Kaurismäki’s Calamari Union (1985), and A Gentle Woman (1969), starring French festival guest Dominique Sanda. In total, 44 screenings were sold out, including all silent film concerts and karaoke screenings – beloved and central features of the festival’s program.
The festival attracted approximately 34,000 attendees, about a thousand more than last year. This is the second-highest attendance in the event’s history, following the 2023 record.
Tickets sold briskly each day, but sales flowed more smoothly this year, thanks to upgrades to the ticketing system and the addition of the Red tent, which increased seating capacity and helped balance visitor flow. The most eager festival-goers began queuing up to 90 minutes before ticket sales began, but the queues were handled efficiently.
“The increased ticket capacity, updated ticket scanning devices, and other technical improvements were successful, with no reported disruptions. Ticket availability was clearly better, with tickets still accessible for each venue on the day of screening,” said Ari Lehtola, Executive Director of the Midnight Sun Film Festival.
This year’s festival placed special emphasis on its educational mission. On the opening day, the Film Education Matinée, led by expert Kaisa Kukkola, explored the potential of film education. Afterwards, a silent film workshop for schoolchildren was held in the Club Tent, where children became sound artists and brought George Méliès’ Le Voyage dans la lune to life. The afternoon continued with a discussion and workshop organized by Film Club Muisti and Suomi, focusing on film education as part of cultural services for the elderly and municipal integration work.
In addition to the traditional introductions, public Q&As, and morning discussions, the festival featured more Masterclasses than ever. These were led by notable international film figures such as American editor Melody London, Russian critic Andrei Plakhov, Austrian director and former Viennale director Alexander Horwath, American film studies professor Jennifer Barker, German film expert Olaf Möller, and Finnish director and visual artist Mika Taanila, who hosted the popular Night School of Experimental Cinema. International guests included directors Chris Petit, Julien Temple, Athina Rachel Tsangari, and Léonor Serraille, as well as actress Dominique Sanda.
All Festival Club events – part of the festival’s side program – were also sold out. These featured performances by Finnish artists: Pietarin Spektaakkeli on Thursday, Olavi Uusivirta and Rillumarei on Friday, and Jaakko Laitinen & Väärä Raha on Saturday.
As always, the anniversary program combined cinematic gems from the past with exciting new discoveries. The festival concluded on Sunday with audience-requested encore screenings, including Teemu Nikki’s 100 Liters of Gold (2025), Canadian director Matthew Rankin’s Universal Language (2024), and Alain Guiraudie’s Stranger by the Lake (2013).
The Midnight Sun Film Festival thanks its partners:
Trade Union Pro, Finland Festivals Association, EU Creative Media, Genelec, Goethe-Institut Finnland, Kemijoki Oy, Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas Oy, National Audiovisual Institute (KAVI), Finnish Film Foundation (SES), Sodankylä Municipality, Finnish Cultural Foundation, Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike), Tähtikuitu Oy, YLE Teema
Images from the festival gallery are available for media use with appropriate credit to the festival and photographer: media.msfilmfestival.fi