The 31st Midnight Sun Film Festival (June 15-19) attracted an almost record-breaking number of visitors to wonder and bask at the magic of cinema during Lapland\u2019s nightless summer nights. The festival hosted almost 140 screenings non-stop during five days, attracting approximately 28\u00a0000 festival visitors according to Sunday morning\u2019s estimate.<\/p>\n
Jiri Menzel<\/strong>, one of the best-known filmmakers of \u201cCzechoslovakia\u2019s miracle of cinema\u201d charmed the festival audience with his sense of humor and anecdotes about filmmaking behind Europe\u2019s Iron Curtain. Academy Award winner Fernando Trueba<\/strong> came to represent the voice of Spain\u2019s post Franco generation at this year\u2019s festival, bringing his 35-year-old director son Jonas Trueba<\/strong> along with him.<\/p>\n Among the festival\u2019s international guests were also Scotland\u2019s Bill Forsyth<\/strong>, who retired from filmmaking at the age of 50, Iceland\u2019s Dagur Kari<\/strong> whose work represents the Scandinavian school of black humor, the Italian documentary filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi<\/strong> whose Fire at Sea<\/em> won the Golden Bear at the Berlin film festival, as well as Britain\u2019s David Barr<\/strong> who came to the festival with his debut feature The Ones Below<\/em> and Sweden\u2019s Malin Buska<\/strong>, the titular star of Mika Kaurism\u00e4ki<\/strong>\u2019s The Girl King<\/em>.<\/p>\n The Midnight Sun Film Festival\u2019s matinee tradition continued this year with two matinees. Mika Kaurism\u00e4ki<\/strong>, Anssi Tikanm\u00e4ki<\/strong> and Neil Brand<\/strong> hosted Wednesday\u2019s film music matinee, while on Saturday professors Esa Turunen<\/strong> and Timo Vesala<\/strong> discussed science and cinema along with researchers Sini Merikallio<\/strong> and Aino-Kaisa Koistinen<\/strong>. In keeping with the themes of the matinees, the festival screened a multifaceted selection of science fiction films, as well as films featuring some of cinema\u2019s most beloved musical scores.<\/p>\n As in past editions of the festival, the special screenings at the Big Tent again attracted the largest audiences. Singer Ismo Alanko<\/strong> whipped the audience of the karaoke screening of The Saimaa Gesture<\/em> to a fever pitch, while the sing-along version of Abba \u2013 The Movie<\/em> was a perfect fit for a summer Saturday evening. The karaoke screening of the hugely popular Ricky Rapper<\/em> at the Small Tent was also sold out.<\/p>\n