With over 200 films submitted, this series was of a very high quality. There was a diversity of styles, themes and topics; exploring a range of age groups, nations, and experiences. Wildly experimental films, reflective memories, and powerful animations made by hand were all represented in the selections. We are honored to have the opportunity of not only seeing all these films, but the chance to discuss and award prizes to the best was a great privilege.
The three categories for our awards are Student, Amateur, and Professional. There are winners for each category, plus special mentions and an overall winner. There were more films we could have given prizes for and there ware many difficult choices. There were films that had amazing cinematography, powerful storytelling, and beautiful soundtracks.
SPECIAL MENTIONS
We award AETERNUS FLORERE by Milja Härkönen (Finland) for Best Character Study. This film was an observational documentary with a powerful main character. We enjoyed seeing a student film that mastered the traditional documentary form.
We award PLACEHOLDER by Teemu Nikki (Finland) for Best Comedy. The whole jury laughed out loud during the screening, finding the humour deeply resonating from the curious social glimpse of a possible future with a dark edge.
We award ALAVIITTEITÄ/ FOOTNOTES by Niilo V (Finland) for Best Experimental Film. The jury connected to this film deeply despite our different artistic practices, and we felt strongly how the theme of the film resonated across disciplines. We also highlight the beautiful use of film and sound as texture and feeling.
CATEGORY WINNERS
For the STUDENT CATEGORY, we selected TJ28/ 28 DAYS LEFT by Yasmin Najjar (Aalto University/ ELO Film School, Finland). The film is a brilliant look at the surreal reality of military service in Finland while genocide is happening in Gaza, told through the eyes of a Palestinian Finn. The film was technically of a very high standard, particularly with shooting in challenging conditions like low light. The car scene was highly noted for its powerful storytelling by the jury.
For the AMATEURS CATEGORY, which was an incredibly strong competition, we chose EIGENTLICH WOLLTE ICH NICHT LANGE BLEIBEN/ ACTUALLY, I DIDN’T WANT TO STAY LONG by Andreas Gruetzner (Germany). The sound was particularly powerful in this film, and we found the storytelling cut across ages, nations, and life experiences. The film connected the stories from the personal to national and historical and resonated deeply with the jury. This film was very highly rated by the jury, one of our top choices.
And for the PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY, the winner is DOLLHOUSE ELEPHANT by Jenny Jokela (Finland). We loved the way this film told many stories, the collective healing explored in
the story was powerful. This film also was an animation of the highest technical skill. The soundtrack was also highly noted by the jury.
GOLDEN HERRING AWARD
And finally our overall winner of the Golden Herring Award is also the DOLLHOUSE ELEPHANT by Jenny Jokela (Finland). It was a very tight competition, and we are pleased to choose DOLLHOUSE ELEPHANT for its collective story and strong technique.
Thank you everyone and congratulations to all of the participants, it was a wonderful competition!