International Book Festival Budapest is regarded as one of the most important events for professional authors in Hungary. Every year the event is visited by up to 60 000 people. This year the event is organized 19.-22.4. and the Finnish guest author is Finlandia-award winning Pirkko Saisio. Saisio is one of the most important contemporary authors in Finland right now. At the Book Festival the first part of Saisio’s autobiographic trilogy, Pienin yhteinen jaettava, is presented. The book has been translated into Hungarian by Ildikó Varga P. and it’s published by the publishing house Polar.

Editor and debut novel writer Satu Vasantola is the second Finnish guest at the European First Novel Festival, held at the International Book Festival Budapest. Satu Vasantola’s recently published first novel, (Never) Going Back is a deft portrayal of individual lives uprooted and inexorably intertwined across time and space. Satu Vasantola’s singular style is both lyrical and bold. Due to her fascination with medicine, diseases, accidents and violence, Vasantola’s characters are often led into hospitals and operation rooms. Vasantola is a journalist, who worked as an editor-in-chief of

Finnagora and The Finnish Embassy have joined forces to present Pirjo Honkasalo’s 2013 movie, Concrete Night, in Cinema City Allée. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the Finnish director. Set in Helsinki, Concrete Night tells the story of a day in the life of two brothers, one of whom is about to go into prison, and spends his last free hours with his 14 year old younger brother. The movie depicts this fragile state of mind in dreamlike sequences, telling a gripping tale about the loss of innocence. Concrete Night is based on a novel with the same title, written by Pirkko

The Finnish day at the National Gallery of Slovenia the 8 th of April is a fun day for the whole family. The National Gallery organizes the day in cooperation with the European Commission in Slovenia in honor of the European Year of Cultural Heritage of 2018. During the day children can participate in a quiz about Finland, hobby horse workshop and competition as well as learn Finnish in a language workshop. Adults can enjoy a musical performance by accordion player Klemen Leben, watch Finnish short films and join a guided tour of the Gallery. FinnAgora is also proud to present the Jussi-award

Kristian Smeds´ stage work just filming at Trafó House of Contemporary Arts will get its Hungarian premiere in March. Kristian Smeds is one of the leading theatre personalities in Finland. His just filming received its world premiere in the Finnish National Theatre in the fall of 2016 and toured also in Estonia that year. Just filming brings together two formidable acting talents: Annamária Láng from Hungary and Juhán Ulfsak from Estonia. Their partnership produces a theatrical dance rich in passion, absurdity and humour. A highly visual and musical performance, just filming is also a heart-

Enjoy international literature at night in the most curious places! The popular event is organized by EUNIC Hungary. During the night famous Hungarian actors read contemporary literature translated into Hungarian from all the EUNIC countries in curious places in the 6th district. During the night you can listen to up to twenty contemporary European literary greats. Previous years the Finnish works have been read in e.g. the guard’s booth at the Liberty bridge and in a small gym. This year Finland is represented by Rosa Liksom’s work Väliaikainen. The Finlandia-award winning author is one of

Discussion on Female Gaze is part of Finnish Film Days 2018 program. The female gaze is a feminist film theoretical term that is constantly being scrutinized and redefined. The term cannot simply be understood as a strict opposition to male gaze referring to the masculine and heterosexual point of view in film which presents women as objects of male pleasure. Actors and directors from Finland and Hungary will discuss the subject of female gaze, what it means and how it is present in today’s filmmaking. Panelists: Miia Haavisto, producer, director, screenwriter Tiina Lymi, director,

Discussion on Approaches to Screenwriting is part of Finnish Film Days 2018 program Film industry professionals from Finland and Hungary will gather together in this discussion session to talk about their approaches to screenwriting. The festival programme itself offers films with directors who are also the screenwriters, screenwriters who are experienced actors, and one of the films’ script is based on a novel. The discussion will dive into the different ways of approaching screenwriting and examine how one's personal and professional experience and background influence the writing process

The 7th Finnish Film Days takes place on the 7-11th of February 2018 at Toldi Cinema! Finnish Film Days offers nine first-class Finnish films presenting some of the brightest talents of Finnish film making. Besides movies and documentaries, the festival program includes two discussions on some of the hot issues of today's film industry. As the opening film we have the pleasure to present an award-winning gem of 2017: Euthanizer , directed by Teemu Nikki . All movies are spoken in Finnish and subtitled in English and Hungarian, unless mentioned otherwise. Tickets: 1500 / 1100 HUF Pre-sale

The 4th edition of Budapest International Documentary Festival (BIDF) features two Finnish documentaries: Hobby Horse Revolution and The Good Postman. Budapest International Documentary Festival takes place between 23.1 – 28.1.2018. Hobby Horse Revolution is a documentary by Oscar nominated director Selma Vilhunen. The documentary is a humorous and touching story about a gang of young Finnish hobby horse enthusiasts. The hobby horse movement has in the last decade grown to become a beloved hobby and lifestyle for thousands of youngsters. Selma Vilhunen will be present for a Q&A during the

FinnAgora is closed during Holidays between 22nd of December 2017 and 2nd of January 2018. Thank you to all who were involved and supported our events and activities this year. FinnAgora’s doors will open again on the 2nd of January 2018. See you in 2018!

Aurora Borealis is a light sculpture and sound composition inspired by a temporary visible phenomenon of nature. Produced by FinnAgora, the light sculpture is situated in front of the Gellért Hill Waterfall and can be seen between 3-6 December. The common project by Finnish and Hungarian artists celebrates the centenary of Finland's independence. During the same time frame the Embassy of Finland makes Elisabeth Bridge shine in the blue and white colours of the Finnish flag. Media designers of the Aurora Borealis light sculpture are media artists András Nagy and László Zsolt Bordos. Sound

Christmas comes early for fans of Finnish jazz this December, as top-class acts Gourmet and Jukka Eskola Soul Trio are booked for shows at Budapest’s Opus Jazz Club. New Jazz From Finland is a collaboration between FinnAgora and Budapest Music Center. New Finnish Jazz brings exciting contemporary acts from the Finnish jazz scene to Hungary. Gourmet is a favourite of both audiences and critics, and has been refered to by the former as ”The most proficient and at the same time the most entertaining Finnish jazz group”. Gourmet’s saga begun 20 years ago when founder members Mikko Innanen and Esa

The Original Finnish Santa Claus arrives to Hungary already for the 16th time this December. Santa Claus, or Joulupukki as Finns call him, flies all the way from the Lappish town of Rovaniemi with Finnair’s airplane and arrives to Budapest airport on Friday 1stof December around 11.00 am. During his 6 days long trip in Hungary Joulupukki will visit several towns and villages around the country spreading the Christmas spirit to everyone. Besides the public events he will also visit kindergardens, women’s shelters and orphanages in order to meet children with different kinds of backgrounds.

Anilogue International Animation Festival takes place in Budapest for the fifteenth time between the 29th of November and 3rd of December. Anilogue gives special attention to animation art in Finland this year with the program Finnish Focus. The festival is organized at Urania National Movie Theatre and Kino cinema, while side programs can be seen also at Szimpla Kert and Magvető Cafe. Finnish Focus welcomes five guests from Finland; brothers Juha and Vesa Vehviläinen who are a duo of visual artists and electronic musicians known by the pseudonym Pink Twins, director of Turku Animated Film

My Secret Forest tells the story of autistic Lauri. He is not able to talk and expresses himself in writing, communicating with his helper Pirjo. The texts give glimpse into Lauri’s world and show what it is like to be a young man behind autism spectrum disorder. The forest is the place where Lauri is able to think. The first documentary of Niina Brandt deals with the dreams, challanges and everyday life of a young, growing man and the walls separating people. It also handles questions about normality. Director Niina Brandt visits the Verzió Film Festival, more information soon on Verzió’s

The conference Architects in Schools provides a platform for discussing the role of architects in Hungarian formal and non-formal education. The event features professionals who will examine the question how architects may contribute to pedagogic work and the creation of long-term interdisciplinary programs. International showcases will be presented on the second day of the conference, including the Finnish Arkki School of Architecture for Children and Youth and it's leading teacher Niina Hummelin . The Arkki school provides children the possibility to discover building and architecture by

Digitalisation is everywhere around us, it has entered the schools and teachers need information on global trends and possiblities. Learning Reloaded is a conference for all teachers working in Hungarian public education who are open to new and exciting ideas in teaching and digitalisation. The conference presents an overview of the experiments and reform processes of the Finnish education system, but it also covers the challenges along the way. The aim is to inspire the participating teachers to take active role in forming the future of education in Hungary by applying and developing new

Two Finnish films will be shown at the Scandinavian Film Festival in October, the documentary Kaisa's Enchanted Forest (Kuun Metsän Kaisa) and the comedy Golddigger (Onnenonkija). The documentary by Katja Gauriloff tells about her grandmother Kaisa Gauriloff’s friendship with author Robert Crotet and through their story also about the hardships experienced by Skolt Sámis during World War II. The romantic comedy by Villa Janker is about the meeting of blogger Marja who is after richness and success with the rich heir Olavi who just wants to be normal. Scandinavian Film Festival 24-29 October

Liksom whose works show a grim view of Finnish society will appear in the panel discussion Europe from Female Perspective on 21 October at 16 PM. She will be interviewed on 22 October at 15 PM . On 22 October at 16 PM there will be a discussion with Statovci about his work My Cat Yugoslavia . The discussion will be conducted by Hungarian author György Dragomán . The festival also features the award winning ceremony of the literary translation competition organized by the Hungarian-Finnish Society and ELTE University’s Department of Finno-Ugric Studies on 22 October at 14.30 PM. http://www.

The results of the literary translation competition organized for beginner translators by the Hungarian-Finnish Society and ELTE University’s Department of Finno-Ugric Studies, supported by FinnAgora are the following: Category prose: 1 st place: Botka Gabriella, Sabján Ildikó (shared prize) 2 nd place: Majoros Etelka 3 rd place: Freisingerné Bodnár Judit Category poetry: 1 st place: Buzás Borbála and Várkonyi Flóra (joint application) 2 nd place: Nagy Ulla 3 rd place: Neer Beatrix We would like to congratulate all our winners and thank everyone for participating in the competition. The award

Finnish soprano Piia Komsi will be seen at this year´s contemporary arts festival Café Budapest. Komsi will perform with the Calder Quartet at Budapest Music Center on the 15th October at 7.30 pm. The Calder Quartet is one of the most prominent formations in the American chamber music scene. The concert’s program includes: Péter Eötvös : Korrespondenz Janáček: String Quartet No. 2 – Intimate Letters Péter Eötvös: The Sirens Cycle – Hungarian premiere The concert will be the album release concert of composer Péter Eötvös's new record, String Quartets, issued by BMC Records. Piia Komsi (soprano

Elina Grundström will be one of the plenary speakers at the annual conference of AIPCE taking place in Budapest this year. Grundström is president of the Council for Mass Media in Finland (JSN). The conference is organized for members of AIPCE. 11-13 October, 2017 National Association of Hungarian Journalists 1064 Budapest Vörösmarty u. 47/A

During the European Language Cocktail Bar event visitors will have the oppirtunity to learn some words in many European languages. Visitors also will be invited to participate playful language activities and games and through that learn a little of numerous languages. At FinnAgora’s table you can learn both Finnish and Swedish this year. European Language Coctail Bar will be held the 10th of October at the University pf Debrecen. The event is a collaboration between EUNIC members. European Language Cocktail Bar 10.10. 2017. 2-6 PM Debreceni Egyetem, 4032 Egyetem tér 1. The event is free http

Sibelius Academy lecturer Petri Prauda is one of the speakers at this year’s edition of Budapest Ritmo, where he will talk about the worldwide boom of folk music education. In recent years the demand for folk and world music education has grown steadily. Petri Prauda and the other panelists will discuss the reason behind this boom. Petri Prauda is a forefront figure in the Finnish folk music scene and frequently performs all over the world with his many bands and projects. Prauda is known for his diversity as a musician and has performed with many taditional folk bands, as well as with metal-

Szatyor Artspace turns into a pop-up store with Finnish design on Budapest Design Week. A collection of Finnish design products from jewellery to children’s clothing is available. The pop-up store is curated by Minna Särelä, the executive director of Design Destrict Helsinki . Opening hours: 5 th to 15 th October Mon to Sat: 10AM-15PM Szatyor ArtSpace Bartók Béla Boulevard 33 1111 Budapest

FinnAgora participates at the DOKK Digital Education Conference and Exhibition to be happening this weekend the 29-30 September, 2017 at the BME University of Technology and Education (Building I). The bustling event will feature lectures by renowned professionals, open lessons, workshops in parallel sections and new exciting tools will be shown to the audience, too. Visitors who register may get a foretaste of FinnAgora’s October 25 conference Learning Reloaded: strategic director of Hundred.fi, Kate Robinson will be sharing the brand new Finnish trends of education developmens and education

Continuity and flow experience. Active meditation. Dancing together. Isolation. Fluidity. Rhythm. Join a free dance lesson on Bartók Béla Street! The idea is simple. The Dancing Finland campaign invites you to feel the joy of dance by participating in a free dance lesson. You do not have to be a experienced dancer to participate – everybody can join. Although the campaign originally was meant for a Finnish audience, it spread fast through social media, and events are beeing organised all around the world. Now it’s time for Budapest. During 2017, over 300 000 people have attended the events of

Saunakansa (Sauna Folk) exhibition featuring photos by Finnish photographer Jussi Puikkonen opens at Szatyor Art Space in Budapest on the 22th of September. The sauna is both a sacred and a mundane place for Finns. There are 3.2 million saunas in Finland (whereas only 5.5 million people), which means there are more saunas than cars. There is a tolerant, non-judgemental climate in the sauna as we are all naked and we all sweat there, either alone or in company. Jussi Puikkonen's photo series Sauna Folk shows a wide and colorful spectrum of saunas. The sensitivity of his works displays the

Finland celebrates its 100th anniversary as an indepent state and is also in the focus of this year’s Eleven Autumn Street Festival hosted by bustling Bartók Béla Avenue of the XI.district. The avenue transforms into a live showcase of Finnish culture at the festival organized by the Bartók Béla Boulevard Association with the support of FinnAgora and the Embassy of Finland. The program features Jussi Puikkonen’s SaunaFolk exhibition, the Finnish dance challenge Dancing Finland, a mobile-sauna for public testing and much more. There will be Finnish films, glass art, design and architecture.

Matti is a Finn who appreciates silence, peace and his own personal space. He is not a fan of small talk, and in social situations he actually wishes he could become invisible. Matti is the main character of comic strip series Finnish Nightmares by Karoliina Korhonen which features the greatest social fears Finns can face. He set off from the Finnish Institute in Norway in the beginning of 2017 and arrives soon to Budapest at the invitation of FinnAgora to be the special guest of the Eleven Ősz Bartók Béla Street Festival. You can follow Matti’s travels in Hungary on Instagram: #Mattiutazik #

The Third International Masterclass Budapest for Conductors will be held between 27th of August - 2nd of September 2017, with the participation of the MAV Symphony Orchestra. Legendary finnish conductor Jorma Panula will be teaching masterclasses with a total of 9 participants. A selected few of the participants will also be conducting during the final concert at The National Museum. www.masterclassbudapest.com/ Maestro Jorma Panula's masterclasses: 27.8 - 2.9.2017 Final Concert: 2.9.2017, 16.00-18.30. The National Museum Hungary 1088 Budapest Múzeum krt. 14–16

Through Miranda's Eyes is a global, 18-month cross-disciplinary project dedicated to celebrating intercultural dialogue and reforming history education policies. TME raises awareness about the Roma Holocaust in WWII and promotes Romani arts and culture. In WWII about half of European Roma got killed in the Holocaust Topic still remains unknown to the general public. With growing number of refugees entering EU states, we need a platform for self-reflection: how to avoid repeating history? In 2001 Cultural Counsellor Veijo Baltzar, initiator of the project, interviewed Miranda, a Holocaust

FinnAgora's staff are on holidays in July, and because of that the office will be closed during 1.7.-31.7. During the holidays we will slow our pace in the social media sites. However, we'll return continue updating these sites in August, so be sure to follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram to keep yourself informed about FinnAgora's newest events and news. The first newsletter of the autumn will be sent in the beginning of September at the latest. Be sure to subscribe to the newsletter! Unfortunately our newsletter is available only in Finnish and Hungarian . We wish all our followers

Echoes – 100 Years in Finnish Design and Architecture exhibition celebrates the centenary year of Finland’s independence with an engaging exploration of Finnish design and architecture. In addition to Budapest, the exhibition will be shown in Bratislava, Warsaw, Prague and Berlin in the course of 2017. Echoes exhibition presents selected and beloved Finnish design classics alongside lesser-known gems and new works from young Finnish designers, creating a fascinating dialogue and story for international audiences. The exhibition is part of the official Finland100 centenary programme. The

Thanks to generations of devoted translators, Finnish literature has been available to Hungarian readers from the 19th century up until these days. As Finland is presently celebrating its centenary year, a project co-organised by Petőfi Irodalmi Múzeum, the Finnish Embassy in Budapest and FinnAgora, and hosted in Petőfi Irodalmi Múzeum, shall provide an overview of Finnish fiction and children’s literature in the last 10 years. The installation is part of “Finland 100”, Finland’s official series of centenary programmes. Open: 7.6. – 8.10.2017 facebook.com/margofeszt www.margofeszt.hu The book

Kaisa’s Enchanted Forest (2016) by Katja Gauriloff is screened not only at the Young Sámis and cultural activism event in Budapest, but after that, also at the KINO OTOK Film Festival in Slovenia on 1 June. 4.30 p.m. Kaisa's Enchanted Forest (Kuun metsän Kaisa) (FI) 2016, dir. Katja Gauriloff Filmmaker Katja Gauriloff found a treasure trove of pristine 16mm footage of her great-grandmother Kaisa, a legendary storyteller. She recovered these priceless films from the ‘30s-’60s, shot by the Swiss writer Robert Crottet, who lived with Kaisa in the ‘30s, and Spanish photographer Enrique Méndez.

Laura Aalto, the Development Director of Helsinki Marketing (Visit Helsinki) will be one of the speakers at this year´s Brain Bar Budapest. Brain Bar Budapest is the biggest European festival on the future. Lively, ambitious and unique, Brain Bar Budapest creates the stage for top trendsetters, decision-makers and challengers to exchange ideas in unusual and unrestrained conversation. Aalto will speak on the topic How can we design the public services of the future? on the 2nd of June . Brain Bar Budapest 1-3 June Akvárium Klub Official 12 Erzsébet tér, Budapest, 1051 See full program and buy

Niillas Holmberg is a Sámi poet, musician, actor and activist whose books and poetry have been translated into more than ten languages. Despite of his young age, Holmberg has gained notable international recognition. He has even been compared to legendary Sámi artist, Nils-Aslak Valkeapää. In 2016 Niillas Holmberg was awarded the Sámi of the Year Award in Finland for his work in music, literature, languages and Sámi rights. Moderator: Petra Nemeth The language of the event is English. The discussion is part of Young Sámis and cultural activism . 27 May 2017, 6.15 p.m. A38 Exhibition Space

The duo Niillas Holmberg & Roope Mäenpää perform Arctic folk music in Northern Sámi language. In the duo´s music one cannot only recognize the bare beauty of nature in Sápmi, but can also find reference to Sámi philosophy and beliefs, as well as to the Western people’s never ending need for ownership. Niillas Holmberg is a Sámi poet, musician, actor and activist whose books and poetry have been translated into more than ten languages. Despite of his young age, Holmberg has gained notable international recognition. He has even been compared to legendary Sámi artist, Nils-Aslak Valkeapää.

Rauni Magga Lukkari, Inger-Mari Aikio: Örökanyák – Világlányok. Számi versek. Book presentation and poem reading. 26th of May 2017 at 7:00 p.m., A38 Exhibition Space Rauni Magga Lukkari and Inger-Mari Aikio belong to the most well-known and productive contemporary Sami artists. They represent two different generations, however, their poems powerfully make the voice of the contemporary Sami women heard. The topics of their poems range from male and female relations, family relationships throughout different generations, to going through war or culture shock. The experiences of the volume are

Petra Laiti is the chair of Suoma Sámi Nuorat , the Finnish Sámi Youth Organization. She also functions as the co-chair of the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus and as a board member in City-Sámit, the organization for Sámi living in Southern Finland. She is an activist and a blogger, and has made a name for herself through bringing contemporary Sámi insight to daily topics in Finland. Gáspár Békés is on of the main organizers of the CEU-protests. He became an activist a year ago, and is now one of the most important voices in Hungary for free education and democratic rights of students. Békés

Young Sámis and cultural activism offers a versatile program of films and documentaries. There is a free entrance to all screenings. All films are in original language and subtitled in English. 25.5. 6 p.m. Sami Blood (Sameblod, NO/SE/DK) 2016, dir. Amanda Kernell Elle Marja, 14, is a reindeer-breeding Sámi girl. Exposed to the racism of the 1930's and race biology examinations at her boarding school, she starts dreaming of another life. To achieve this other life she has to become someone else and break all ties with her family and culture. Amanda Kernel l´s , striking debute Sami Blood is a

Suohpanterror is one of the most visible groups speaking for Sámi rights. As a collective of Sámi artists working under a pseudonym, it has soon become a popular activist group characterised by its radical pop-art which is startling and thought-provoking at the same time. One of their members defines their work as ”art-shaped politics”. Suohpanterror’s aim is to bring into attention Sámi rights and injustices–such as discrimination or racism faced by the Sámis. They also shed light on the multinational mining industry intending to exploit the natural resources of Sámiland as well as on the

Young Sámis and cultural activism introduces the politically committed art of young Sámi artists and discusses the rights and situation of indigenous people in current society through arts. The newly emerged movement involving young Sámis in Sámiland wants to make their voice heard, raising issues of minority rights and anomalies in the Sámi politics of the Nordic countries. The Sámi people, the only indigenous people of Fenno-Scandinavia, and in fact, of the whole European Union, has for centuries been subject to discrimination. Although their legal situation has improved to some extent over

The traditional SOPPA restaurant will take place again at the courtyard of the Embassy of Finland on Restaurant Day Saturday 20 May. The Finnish innovation Restaurant Day has become popular around the world and it has also found its own place in the event scenery of Hungary. SOPPA restaurant will be held for the sixth time. We won’t be breaking the traditions when it comes to food: there will be Finnish fish soup and Karelien pies among other delicious things. While eating you can enjoy music performances by the first Finnish Unicef ambassadors Eija Ahvo and Susanna Haavisto accompanied by

The centre theme of this year’s very first Future Work Festival held on May 17, 2017 in Akvárium Klub is the Finnish education system. True to its name, Future Work Festival covers topics such as the changing world of work and the new lines and future challenges in education. What should young people study today to become a competitive workforce in ten years? What will future workplaces look like? How does digitalisation influence the world of work? Where will the actual work take place? These are some of the questions the several leading Hungarian and international experts will try to give

The centenary of Finland’s independence is being celebrated by a series of events in Hungary. The celebration started in January with the exhibition Independence Through the Lenses in the Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center. Another major event at the beginning of 2017 was the super popular Finnish Film Days. The main theme for Finland 100 is togetherness which will also be represented at this year’s SOPPA pop-up restaurant in the garden of the Embassy of Finland in Budapest on Saturday 20 May. SOPPA with its varied and joyful programme has become a traditional annual event–a treat to

The exhibition 100 Objects from Finland opened on 23rd March 2017 in Helsinki Design Museum. On the same day a virtual version of the exhibition will be published on the attached website, 100objects.fi . Thanks to the extensive co-operation of Finnish Embassies and cultural institutes all over Europe, the online exhibition will be accessible, in Hungarian as well as many other languages, until the end of 2017, Finland’s centenary year. 100 Object from Finland strives to describe the road that the Finns have taken to reach this day. The exhibition illustrates the past 100 years of Finland by

DESIGN WITHOUT BORDERS exhibition organised by Made in Hungary and MeeD brings to Budapest works by Finnish designers 31 March – 7 May 2017. At the exhibition will be exhibited works by Hanna Anonen , Hanna Särökaari , Mikko Lanne and Riku Toivonen . In addition to the Finnish designers the exhibition consists of design from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and The Czech Republic. The exhibition is part of the Budapest Spring Festival which is one of the biggest cultural event in Hungary. Made in Hungary design festival is being organised this

International Book Festival Budapest is held for the 24th time in 2017. With its 60.000 visitors annually, International Book Festival Budapest is a recognized event of the international publishing world and one of the important professional and intellectual forums of the region. This years’ Finnish guests at the festival are Jussi Valtonen and Hanna Weselius. Valtonen’s new novel They Know Not What They Do has just been published in Hungarian under the title Nem tudják, mit cselekszenek . The presentation of the book will be held at the Book Festival on 21st April at 15-16 o’clock at

Founded in 1972, the Lapland Chamber Orchestra is the most northerly professional orchestra in Finland, and the entire EU. Conductor and violinist John Storgårds has been the orchestra’s artistic director since 1996. Besides Finland and the northern regions, they have performed at the BBC Proms in London, the Carinthian Summer festival of Austria, and the International Festival of Symphonic Music in Algeria.They have performed with soloists such as Soile Isokoski, Håkan Hardenberger, Christian Tetzlaff, Nicholas Daniel, Nicholas Kraemer, Piers Adams, Colin Currie and Sabine Meyer. The Lapland

Hungary's biggest international film festival, Titanic International Filmfest 6 – 14 April presents Samurai Rauni (2016) by a Finnish director Matti Rättö on Friday 7 April and Saturday 8 April at Toldi Mozi. Rauni Reposaarelainen is an overpowering, alcoholic samurai who sows damage and sorrow in his surroundings in Meri-Pori, western Finland. A mystical pseudonym “Shametear” makes a contract with the Satakunta Guild of Ninjas in order to assassinate Rauni. Rauni easily survives the assassination attempt and wants to find out who’s hiding behind the name Shametear. This is the beginning of

The popular city festival Night of Literature organized by EUNIC Hungary brings European literature to Budapest. During this night actors read literature from every EUNIC Hungary country in Hungarian in suprising places that are usually closed from public. You have to possibility to explore the city while participating the readings of contemporary literature from all around Europe! Actors Lehel Kovács and István Dankó from Katona József Színház perform A Dream Death (2014) by Finnish author Leena Krohn to the audience in a cabin of the Liberty Bridge´s guard at 7 pm, 7.30 pm, 8 pm, 8.30 pm, 9

Finnish guitarist Kalle Kalima has lived in Berlin since 1998. The collaboration with German drummer Max Andrzejewski and Italian bassist began when a film crew shot their gig at a Berlin tattoo parlour. The group’s cultural diversity is not limited just to their backgrounds, it is reflected throughout their creative output. Growing up, Kalima was influenced by the music of Frankie Laine and Sibelius and he has worked with Jason Moran, Anthony Braxton, Jazzanova and Tony Allen. Andrzejewski has been described as one of the finest drummers of his generation. Their latest album High Noon was

Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto, English cellist Amy Norrington, and Hungarian pianist Gabor Csalog perform chamber music by Ravel and Schubert at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music 18 March at 7.30 pm. Franz Liszt Academy of Music 18 March 2017 at 19:30 Book your tickets here .

Kristian Smeds´ latest stage work just filming at Trafó House of Contemporary Arts has been postponed to autumn 2017. New performance times will be announced soon. Kristian Smeds is one of the leading theatre personalities in Finland. His latest work received its world premiere in the Finnish National Theatre in the fall of 2016 and toured also in Estonia before coming to Budapest. Just filming brings together two formidable acting talents: Annamária Láng from Hungary and Juhán Ulfsak from Estonia. Their partnership produces a theatrical dance rich in passion, absurdity and humour. A highly

The documentary film ’ Eero Saarinen – The Architect Who Saw the Future’ about one of the most influential Finnish architects Eero Saarinen will be screened on Friday the 3rd of March. The screening is part of the 9th edition of the Budapest Architecture Film Days . The Hungarian Contemporary Architecture Centre offers a 4-day-long festival at Toldi Cinema between 2-5 March . In a similar fashion to previous years, the festival presents a wide selection of films, focusing on storytelling and personal relationships with the city, presenting buildings in an elusive and subjective manner.

Finnish Film Days was organized for the sixth time 8 – 12 February 2017. Attendance broke records this year: nearly 1700 movie fans attended the films and the discussions with guest filmmakers and industry experts. Five of the nine movies presented attracted full house audiences and the Sound Design Workshop and the Discussion on Female Roles in Today’s Film Industry were also very popular: both side events were attended by over one hundred viewers. FinnAgora would like to express heartfelt gratitude to the co-organisers, to the guest artists and to the audience! Finnish Film Days has been

Finnish DJ Emil will host the Finnish Film Days club evening after the opening film Pixadores (2014) on Wednesday 8 February at 9 pm. On Thursday 9 February at 6 pm Kim Emil Ramstedt (DJ Emil) will lecture on topic ’ DJs as Cultural Brokers ' in the Music Networks Seminar (MNS) academic lecture series at Budapest University of Technology and Economics , Building E, Room 704. Kim Emil Ramstedt is a researcher and lecturer at Åbo Akademi University in Finland and is in the process of finishing his doctoral dissertation in musicology. In addition to his academic work, Ramstedt is also a DJ,

The 6th Finnish Film Days takes place 8-12th of Feb 2017! In the darkest time of the year, The Finnish Film Days offers film lovers nine first-class Finnish films presenting some of the brightest talents of Finnish film making. Besides movies and documentaries, the fringe program of the festival includes a workshop and discussions on some of the hot issues of today's film industry as well as club nights! As the opening film the festival presents the award-winning documentary Pixadores by Amir Escandari. Finland celebrates its 100th year of independence in 2017. Finnish Film Days is one of the

Finnish Pietari Inkinen will conduct Budapest Festival Orchestra (BFO) on the enchanting piece Lemminkäinen's Return by Jean Sibelius in Müpa on the 12th, 13th and 14th of January. Program to be presented at Müpa: Sibelius: Lemminkäinen’s Return (Lemminkäinen Suite, Op. 22) Dmitri Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 2 Sergei Prokofiev: Symphony No. 6 in E flat minor Soloist: Truls Mørk, cello More information and tickets available at http://www.bfz.hu/

Finnish Backlight Photo Festival celebrates its 30th anniversary and Finland’s 100 years of independence by organizing an exhibition tour of seven Finnish photographic artists in Europe. The exhibition “Independence Through the Lenses” tours in Hungary, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Slovakia, Lithuania, and Latvia as part of the Programme on the centenary of Finland ´s independence in 2017. The artists presented on the tour are Juha Arvid Helminen, Sara Hornig, Jaakko Kahilaniemi, Riitta Päiväläinen, Harri Pälviranta, Juha Suonpää, and Juuso Westerlund. Independence Through the Lenses tour

FinnAgora shuts down for Holidays between 22 nd of December 2016 and 1 st of January 2017. Thank you to all who were involved and supported our events and activities this year. FinnAgora’s doors will open again on the 2 nd of January 2017. See you in 2017 - the year Finland celebrates its 100 years of independence!

Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho’s breakthrough opera Love from Afar (L’amour de loin) will have its Metropolitan Opera premiere in New York in December. The opera will soon afterwards be seen at Urania National Movie Theatre in Budapest. Love from Afar originally premiered at Salzburg Festival in 2000. It is one of the most acclaimed operas of the 2000s and it has won a Grammy for Best Opera Performance in 2011. This is the first time in more than a century that an opera composed by a woman will appear at the Metropolitan Opera. The production is directed by Robert Lepage and conducted by

The Original Finnish Santa Claus arrives to Hungary already for the 15th time this December. Santa Claus, or Joulupukki as Finns call him, flies all the way from the Lappish town of Rovaniemi with Finnair’s Santa Claus airplane and arrives to Budapest airport on Saturday the 1st of December around 11 am. During his six days long trip in Hungary Joulupukki will visit several towns and villages around the country spreading the Christmas spirit to everyone. Besides the public events he will also visit schools, kinder gardens and orphanages in order to meet children with different kinds of

Europe is undergoing a continuous change and we have faced several major challenges in recent years. For a long time, Europe was about common responsibility, however, changing society has resulted in, among other things, closed borders and xenophobia. Renowned Finnish author Monika Fagerholm ’s acclaimed book The American Girl has been published in Hungarian. Fagerholm is known not only for her strong female characters but also for her active social influence. The German media called Hungarian author Noémi Kiss one of the greatest up and coming authors of her generation. She is currently

Come and prepare a tasty meal with us - Moomin-style! Did you know that the Moomins are actually Swedish-speaking Finns, created by Tove Jansson , a Swedish-speaking Finn herself? Now you have the opportunity to learn more about the Moomins and try some of their delicacies at the same time. All of Moominmamma’s recipes are presented by season and inspired by not only the Finnish cuisine but the deep Finnish forests. During the event we will follow her ideas and use seasonal ingredients. To make sure that you will remember all the secrets, you will also have the opportunity to make your own

Renowned as one of the world's top accordionists, Maria Kalaniemi graduated from Helsinki's Sibelius Academy in 1990 after studying in both the folk and classical music departments concurrently. She became one of the figures in the new wave of Finnish folk music that was evolving around the academy. Since 1983 and up to the present day, she has formed her bands from the students and teachers at the academy. These include Niekku, Aldargaz, The Helsinki Melodeon Ladies Quintet and Zeta Bop: each and every one an essential player in the Finnish world music scene. Her music can be termed

In our everyday lives we often dance on a knife-edge. Carl Knif's solo RED is an intimate portrait of an individual struggling with an inner red alert. RED is a performance about extremes – not always dramatic, but full of personal courage. Carl Knif belongs to the very forefront of Finnish dancers. After a decade of working as a dancer and freelance choreographer, Knif started his own Carl Knif Company as a base for new productions as well as repertoire in 2012. Knif is also known as a former dancer in Tero Saarinen company. With pieces such as Hologram Walls, Claude glass and Mothertongue

Although multilingualism has become more important in both the private and the public sector, its added value and impact on the economy have not been fully analysed. However, several factors indicate that a multilingual environment is an undeniable advantage that attracts new businesses to a city, a region or a country. Language skills contribute to creating growth and jobs, and are an asset not only to individuals, but also to business, regions, countries, and even Europe. To put it simply, languages create wealth. Language and wealth are also a question of equal opportunities. Equal access

Next year is the 100th anniversary of Finnish independence so the timing is perfect to remember that there are actually two official languages in Finland, Finnish and Swedish. Therefore this November FinnAgora arranges the weeks of Swedish-speaking Finns called Hejsan Budapest! – brings Swedish-speaking Finns to you. The aim of Hejsan Budapest! – brings Swedish-speaking Finns to youis to present success stories of a multilingual country: accordionist Maria Kalaniemi, dancer Carl Knif and visual artist Viggo Wallensköld, just to mention a few. Hejsan Budapest! is also about reminding one about

Viggo Wallensköld (1969-) is one of the most distinctive Finnish painters of his generation. By depicting atypical bodies his most well-known works question normality and prejudices. His paintings show intersexual, obese, anorexic or deformed people who definitely differ from the normative beauty standards. Although his characters are not simply different or malformed, they do not come from the garden of otherness - they all have their own values and unique personalities and there is always a story to tell. Wallensköld is a contemporary artist who respects traditions. His art can be seen as

The latest novel called Norma by Sofi Oksanen, one of the most prominent and best-selling authors in Finland, has recently been published in Hungarian. In the original language the novel came out in Finland in 2015. Oksanen will be present at the book launch of Norma in Toldi Cinema on Thursday the 3rd of November. The event is hosted by the publishing house Scolar Kiadó, which has published all Oksanen’s books in Hungarian. Oksanen has been in Hungary before for example in 2014 as the Guest of Honor at the International Book Festival of Budapest, where she was awarded the Budapest Grand

A biographical drama film The Girl King directed by Mika Kaurismäki and a documentary Garden Lovers by Virpi Suutari represent Finnish film making at the Scandinavian Film Festival held in Budapest between 26 th and 30 th of October. The Girl King from 2015 tells about Queen Christina who at the age of six became a monarch in the 17 th century Sweden. The film is a Finnish-Swedish-German collaboration. Garden Lovers from 2014 is a humorous declaration of love to the beauty and healing powers of gardens. The Girl King (original audio, English and Hungarian subtitles) 28 th of October at 5.30

The gala world premiere of recently deceased Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara’s opera, The Mine will be held in the Hungarian State Opera House on 21 October, 2016 and another three performances will be given through October and the beginning of November. The Mine depicts the Hungarian uprising of 1956 and will be performed to commemorate the Revolution’s 60th anniversary this year. The story of miners trapped in a mine unfolds in the opera as the metaphor for a society fighting dictatorship. According to Rautavaara the piece was inspired by Hungarian refugees he met in Switzerland in

The theme of FinnAgora’s program in 2016 is FREEDOM. Freedom of speech is an important part of the theme. To celebrate the 250 years of Freedom of the Press Act FinnAgora is organizing a series of seminars and events regarding freedom of speech. The seminar series is organized together with the Embassy of Finland and Embassy of Sweden in Hungary and as well as with many Hungarian partners. FinnAgora wants to bring up different perspectives regarding freedom of speech in today’s society. The FREEDOM theme will be present also in many events of FinnAgora in the autumn.