The Helsinki Effect
An essay documentary that explores the power narratives and myths of the Cold War era. The film deconstructs the anatomy of an often misunderstood diplomatic process, and reveals how it came to impact the world in a decisive way.
An essay documentary that explores the power narratives and myths of the Cold War era. The film deconstructs the anatomy of an often misunderstood diplomatic process, and reveals how it came to impact the world in a decisive way.
The government imposes a law of oblivion to punish offenders. Those who commit one of the nine major crime are tried under this law and, when they die, their personal belongings and corpses are ground in the grinding factory, and their traces are completely erased from life.
Saturday, June 14, 7:00 PM
EYEDROPS – Pragmatic dreamers, melancholic progressives, loud introverts. Their concerts have been described as paradoxically energizing while evoking a strong sense of melancholy, and the band’s message is marked by surprising honesty.
Sunday, June 15, 7:00 PM
Amphitrio is a contemporary jazz project initiated in 2020, featuring pianist and composer Andrei Petrache, bassist Mike Alex, and percussionist Philip Goron, all musicians with a solid foundation in classical and alternative music.
The story behind this trio speaks of friendship, the joy of playing and improvising in a well-knit group, despite each member simultaneously being involved in multiple other projects.
Monday, June 16, 7:00 PM
Gudrun Gut’s story spans many years, scenes, and sounds, from the “ingenious dilettantes” subculture of early 1980’s Berlin as part of Mania D, Einstürzende Neubauten, and Malaria! to Matador into an expansive solo catalog of later work.
Tuesday, June 17, 7:00 PM
Kostiantyn Pochtar, better known as Postman, began his musical odyssey in Kyiv, crafting intimate 'city folk' songs with just a guitar and harmonica. His early works captured the everyday wonders of his hometown’s urban life, offering a raw, acoustic sound that reflected his surroundings. One of those early songs, ‘Kyivski Vulytsi’ (The Streets of Kyiv), was a huge success and has since been considered by many as an unofficial hymn of Ukraine’s capital.
Łukasz L.U.C. Rostkowski is one of Poland’s most innovative musicians, known for his compositions that blend jazz with electronic music, hip-hop, and traditional rhythms.
Wednesday, June 18, 7:00 PM
Chiral, is a Transylvania based genre fluid musical duo founded by Sigílio Scattolini & Chill the Great. They popped up last year with the debut single ‘River Bank Hotel’ and their first EP ‘Opqosite words’. Their compelling melting pot of alternative R&B, elements of soul and influences of UK new wave jazz gives a lush yet energetic sound to the duo. As of this year they perform with a live band promoting their first EP as well as some of their upcoming sophomore EP material.
Thursday, June 19, 7:00 PM
Sorvina, New York-born now Berlin-based, is an artist whose music is as dynamic and evolving as her life story. Raised in a (relatively) quiet suburb of NYC, Sorvina first found her voice in the world of folk singer-songwriters, where her acoustic melodies and tragicomic lyricism painted vivid pictures of her inner world. But, as she continued along her personal and artistic journey, Sorvina soon grew courageous enough to admit one of her deepest most obscured dreams: to unironically become a rapper.
Not willing to accept that his glorious life as the "King of the violin" is over, Caliu starts the journey of reinventing himself. Traveling back and forth between present struggles and the old, golden days, music is the only constant in Caliu's life.
Inspired by the tragedy of Fântâna Albă on April 1, 1941, the film recounts the fate of a Romanian community in Bessarabia, massacred in a desperate attempt to find refuge from the Soviet occupation.
In a grim, claustrophobic apartment owned by a rich elderly woman, the inhabitants desperately try to relate to each other as they go about their bleak lives revealing their darkest secrets, fears, obsessions and hostilities.
Trying to get money to cover a debt for her son, who is in danger of going to prison, Alina, a nurse, faces an unexpected ethical problem. World premiere at TIFF!
Saturday, June 21, 7:00 PM
Take four jazzmen with a passion for improvisation and techno clubbing and you get Photons, pianist Gauthier Toux’s new project, as much for dancing as for listening.
Sunday, June 22, 7:00 PM
Valeria Stoica is an indie-pop artist from the Republic of Moldova. She has a deep connection with nature which is where she spent her childhood and gets inspired by. Her first official single - “Remember” - was a great surprise for the Romanian indie-pop listeners. It has also proved to be an international success, with Spotify listeners from all over the world.