A New Set of Eyes: Student Films from Finland

Bringing together this year’s best student films, the following short documentaries are screened: Aeternus Florere, Dancers Only, Between Us, Scent of an Ancestral Dream and Drawn in Water.

AETERNUS FLORERE

dir. Milja Härkönen, Finland, 2025, 25 min

Maija has run a small flower kiosk in Mellunmäki for 50 years. As a florist, she is present at people’s most significant moments, in the joys and sorrows. Soon, Maija herself faces a major decision: how long can a 72-year-old continue working through winter frosts and summer heat? With business moving slowly, Maija has time to observe life in the neighborhood and the Alepa convenience store across the street, which brings competition to the kiosk with its own flower selection.

Laura Manninen (translated by Anni Rossi)

DANCERS ONLY

dir. Siiri Selin, Finland, 2025, 19 min 

What happens in the corners of a Helsinki strip club where customers are not allowed? There, the only audience are the other dancers. One is putting the finishing touches on her master’s thesis, another is knitting, and the third is taking selfies. Together, the women play cards, rest, and share stories about customers.
Directed by Siiri Selin, the film is an intimate love letter to friendship, solidarity, and femininity, bathed in soft neon light.
Riikka Pennanen (translated by Anni Rossi)
BETWEEN US

dir. Sahra Jama, Finland, 2025, 10 min 

​​Casual, happy chatter invites you into a meeting hosted by the Muslim student associations
of the University of Helsinki and Aalto University. In the warm atmosphere, free from outside
prejudices, thoughts on community, identity and activism flow in the room freely. Not all
questions need answers, as the moment gently reveals how the act of sharing together is
what makes the discussion bloom.

Mimosa Ahderinne

SCENT OF AN ANCESTRAL DREAM

dir. Shamsil Balkis, Finland, 2025, 23 min

When a person dies alone, they may not be discovered immediately. Dirt and odours seep into the apartment, which a death cleaner is called to remove. But where does the spirit of the deceased go? This question is explored in the experimental film Scent of an Ancestral Dream, a glimpse into the life of a death cleaner. While cleaning the traces of death, the cleaner finds a connection to the spirits of the deceased. Magical and documentary elements meet in this mysterious short film.

Eelia Leikas (translated by Anni Rossi)

DRAWN IN WATER

dir. Heta Jokinen, Finland, 2025, 15 min 

Official definitions of family are narrower than people’s lived realities. Is it acceptable to bring a pet, a beloved family member to many, to a funeral? Can friends adopt a shared, invented surname? Is blood really thicker than water, and what did the saying originally mean? The film’s visually rich and inventive approach reflects colourful and thought-provoking ideas about family.

Laura Manninen (translated by Anni Rossi)

Filmmakers will attend the screening on 6 Feb.