Blog: Film festivals

Welcome to Joutseno Art Summer International Film Festival. This international festival which has the main theme of the UN SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) is the Nordic celebration of independent filmmaking!

To highlight the importance of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), Joutseno College (Joutsenon Opisto in Finnish) is holding this international film festival offering the pleasant atmosphere and the great natural scenery of Lake Saimaa just 2.5 hours train trip from Helsinki, the capital city of Finland.

Joutseno College, which organises the festival, has been an established educational provider of arts and languages for over 70 years, and it is well equipped to allow the preparation of such a programme that includes both outdoor and indoor activities.

As an addition to the college's Art Summer programme running for decades, this festival provides not only a novel cinematic experience for audiences as well as filmmakers, but it also renders an opportunity to reflect on the future of our planet emphasising on the role and responsibilities of us as human beings.

Our main goal with Joutseno Art Summer International Film Festival is to help maximise the engagement of select independent filmmakers who choose to challenge and reflect on global scale problems. The festival would offer filmmakers a unique opportunity to screen their works in one of the most scenic venues and locations in Finland!

In addition to live screenings, we offer:

❄ networking events
❄ open dialogue sessions
❄ pre/post festival training/discussion sessions
❄ an extensive network of different stakeholders
❄ a guided tour of Lappeenranta and Joutseno
❄ several recreational events such as live music

Visit our website https://www.joutsenonopisto.fi/ff2023 for more information and updates.