Cannes 2012: Inaugural Finnish Event Launches

The Helsinki International Film Festival is launching its first-ever industry showcase, hoping to stoke interest among sales agents, buyers and the international media for Finnish national cinema.

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The inaugral Finnish Film Affair, to be held in Helsinki Sept. 25-27, will screen new features and works-in-progress from the region as well as the latest from Finland’s film neighbors in Russia, Estonia  and other Nordic countries. The showcase, which will also include networking events and an industry panel, will come smack in the middle of the Helsinki festival, which runs Sept. 20-30.

Helsinki Film Festival director Pekka Lanerva said the international success of Finnish films as varied as 2011 Cannes entry Le Havre, crowd-sourced sci-fi spoof Iron Sky and downbeat comedy Lapland Odyssey made now "the perfect time to launch this program."