On the third day of the festival, the morning discussion featured the long-time French film star Dominique Sanda, who spoke about her work with renowned directors such as Robert Bresson, Jacques Demy, and Bernardo Bertolucci. A particularly young cinephile, who had asked Sanda a question at the opening screening, also presented a beautiful portrait they had drawn of the film star after the discussion.
Sanda, who had also taken time to try out fish traps on the waters of Sodankylä, appeared later in the evening at the Red Tent for Demy’s A Room in Town (1982). During the opening discussion, she reminisced about working with Demy but noted how she was still disappointed that her real singing voice wasn’t used in the film. The French actress embraced even the most risque or challenging parts of the role—she appeared in many scenes wearing nothing but a fur coat.
Under the midday sun, the traditional football match Midnight Sun El Clásico ended, as tradition dictates, in a draw. The sun was shining and the mud was flying as festival guests, volunteers, and staff enthusiastically chased the ball in a lively match.
The filmmaker screening at midday featured Chris Petit’s Content (2010) along with the rarely seen short film The Carfax Fragment (2001). In the afternoon at the Red Tent, the audience watched Ari (2025) by the French director Leonor Serraille, who had arrived in Sodankylä on Thursday. The film is a more melancholic and understated sibling to her earlier work Montparnasse Bienvenüe (2017), exploring themes of incompletion and experimentation.
At the Club Tent, a panel discussion titled “Cultural Cuts and the Struggle for Finnish Civilization”, organized by the trade union Pro, brought together figures like Jouko Aaltonen and Elina Knihtilä to discuss challenges and possible solutions. “If we don’t take care of our culture, no one else will”, said Pro’s chairperson Niko Simola during the event.
In the early evening at Lapinsuu, the premiere of Kronos Kairos, directed by Herra Ylppö, took place. Alongside the director, sound designer Kirka Sainio and screenwriter Mika Lätti were present to talk about the film’s background and production process. They revealed that the Sodankylä Film Festival—and the magic of Sodankylä itself—played a significant role in the film’s origin story.
Later in the evening at the School venue, audiences enjoyed a Masterclass screening curated by Jennifer Barker, titled A Distant Gaze: From the Tiny and Insignificant to the Vast and Monumental. The short animations in the screening moved through galactic scales, contemplating questions both greater and smaller than life itself. The audience was invited to notice things that often go unnoticed.
The silent film concert in the Big Tent drew a full house, as usual, for F.W. Murnau’s The Last Laugh, accompanied by Anssi Tikanmäki Film Orchestra. Another popular event was the late-night screening of the rural romance gem At the Rovaniemi Fair. The 2005 karaoke screening of Jorma Nortimo’s film was the first of its kind in Sodankylä, making this 20th-anniversary presentation a true celebration.
Camp-spirited night owls were still going strong at 5 a.m., partying to the beat of guest of honour Julien Temple’s sci-fi comedy Earth Girls Are Easy. The crowd cheered and sighed with joy at the colorful Californian absurdity, featuring young Jim Carrey, Jeff Goldblum, and Geena Davis in very skimpy outfits—as the morning sun gently greeted the audience exiting Lapinsuu.