Cinemaissí

07/02/2026

Cinemaissí's recommendation for the weekend: DOCPOINT! 🔥

DocPoint is one of the largest documentary film festivals in the Nordic countries. In Finland, it is the only festival solely dedicated to nonfiction films. This year, DocPoint is celebrating its 25th anniversary - congratulations! 🩷

The programme also has some gems from Latin America. 🤩

⭐️ LIGHT MEMORIES
🗓️ Sun, 8 Feb, at 14:30
📍 Ecuador, Germany

In the award-winning film, Misha Vallejo Prut sets out to discover who his unknown, now deceased grandfather really was, with the help of photographs.

⭐️ UNDER THE FLAGS, THE SUN
🗓️ Sat, 7 Feb at 19 & Sun, 8 Feb at 17.15
📍 Paraguay

Rare archival material sheds light on the 35 year long Stroessner dictatorship Paraguay.

⭐️ THE MEMORY OF BUTTERFLIES
🗓️ Sat, 7 Feb at 13.45 & Sun, 8 Feb at 13.15
📍 Peru

The film constructs counter-history for Peru's colonial history by revealing hidden archives and distortions. The film’s hypnotic atmosphere provides a counterbalance to the time travel through Peru’s somewhat gloomy history which also touches on the director’s own family and position as a filmmaker.

Tickets at docpoint.fi /

01/12/2025

Gerardo Minutti invites you all to watch their film Perros at Kino Myyri on Tuesday, 2 December, at 18:00!

Perros is a Uruguayan black comedy following two families and an escalating confrontation.

The film is spoken in Spanish with English subtitles.

🎟️ There are still some tickets left for the special free screening. Get your tickets at kinomyyri.fi

The screening is organised in collaboration with Pop Up Kino Helsinki, and as a part of the 8th European Cinema Night – Across the Screens: Europe Meets Latin America and the Caribbean.

20/11/2025

The celebration of Latin American cinema continues in December with special free screenings of Perros on 2 December at Kino Myyri, in collaboration with Pop Up Kino Helsinki, and City of God on 3 December at Cinema Orion, in collaboration with ELKE ry.

🐶 PERROS (Gerardo Minutti)

Argentina, Uruguay | 102 min | In Spanish with English subtitles | Nordic Premiere

📍 Tue, 2.12. at 18:00, Kino Myyri

Summer in Uruguay. The Saldaña family are looking after the house of their well-off neighbors, the Pernas. Having the key to temptation, they decide to abuse their duties and spend the holidays there. What begins as an innocent game quickly escalates to a full-out confrontation between the families after the unexpected disappearance of the Pernas’ dog.

👉 More information on: https://www.myyrikino.fi

📷 CITY OF GOD (Fernando Meirelles, Kátia Lund)

Brazil, France | 130 min | In Portuguese with Finnish subtitles | 35mm

📍 Wed, 3.12. at 19:30, Cinema Orion

In the poverty-stricken favelas of Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s, two young men choose different paths. Rocket is a budding photographer who documents the increasing drug-related violence of his neighborhood, while José “Zé” Pequeno is an ambitious drug dealer diving into a dangerous life of crime.

👉 More information on: https://cinemaorion.fi/elokuvat/city-of-god/

🎟 Both screenings are free. Check the cinemas’ websites for information on how to get tickets.

⭐ The screenings are organised as part of 8th European Cinema Night – Across the Screens: Europe Meets Latin America and the Caribbean.

03/11/2025

HOW DID WE DO? GIVE US FEEDBACK 🗣

We value your feedback. 💜 Completing the feedback form takes about 5–10 minutes, and all responses are anonymous. The form will remain open until 11 November.

As a thank you, we’ll be giving away three Festival Passes (each worth 5 tickets) for next year’s festival! If you’d like to take part in the draw, you can choose to enter your email at the end of the form in a separate form.

➡️ Give feedback here: https://forms.gle/wqnNxWTnnEWTyndDA

🌽🌽🌽

Arvostamme palautettasi. 💜 Palautelomakkeen täyttäminen vie noin 5–10 minuuttia, ja kaikki vastaukset käsitellään anonyymisti. Viimeinen päivä täyttää lomake on 11. marraskuuta.

Kiitokseksi arvomme kolme viiden lipun festivaalipassia ensi vuoden festivaalille! Jos haluat osallistua arvontaan, voit jättää sähköpostiosoitteesi lomakkeen lopusta löytyvälle erilliselle lomakkeelle.

➡️ Anna palautetta täällä:

📷: .rpz

30/10/2025

🩷 1,500 TIMES THANK YOU 🩷

🔥 The 20th edition of Cinemaissí attracted 1,500 visitors, breaking its all-time attendance record.

🌽 We showed you 13 fresh, thought-provoking, and moving Latin American films. Six screenings sold out, while the rest also played to full audiences.

🎬 Among the audience favourites were the Colombian award-winning tragicomedy A Poet and the Mexican The Devil Smokes, which blurs the line between reality and dark imagination.

🔎 We also made history screening a film with Finnish subtitles for the first time in the festival's history. The Mole Agent delighted audiences both in Helsinki and Oulu, where we, together with Oulu-Matagalpa-ystävyysseura and Oulun Elokuvakeskus, hosted a successful side event to a full house.

💡 On our core values is to foster dialogue through film. Thus, we organised two conversations, one around The Ivy focusing on trauma and healing, and another around Toroboro: The Name of the Plants, discussing the ethical considerations of doing research with Indigenous communities. Both films and discussions drew strong interest, with Toroboro screening to a sold-out theatre.

📍 The 20th anniversary edition of Cinemaissí took place at Caisa Cultural Center, Kino Engel, Cinema Orion, Gilda Cinema, and Kino Konepaja from 22–26 October 2025.  

✨ The record-breaking anniversary edition is a testament to the strong interest in Latin American cinema in Finland, and the need for community built around films.

🥰 We extend heartfelt thanks to all our collaborators, sponsors, volunteers, and audience members who made this anniversary year unforgettable. 

📸
1-2, 5, 9, 11
3-4, 7 .rpz
8
10

26/10/2025

Today's the last day of the 20th edition of Cinemaissí – what a ride it’s been! 🔥

Cinemaissí wouldn’t be what it is without the dedication and hard work of our amazing volunteers. They are an essential part of the Cinemaissí team, the ones keeping the magic alive and making sure everything runs smoothly throughout the festival.

Our volunteers are the soul of the festival, creating a warm-hearted community with their friendliness and humour.

Cinemaissí is so lucky to have you all. 🥰

📸:
1, 3–4, 7 .rpz
2, 5-6, 10 _
8
9

25/10/2025

Alive for 20 years and counting... 🌽 Thank you to the ones that make this possible! Here's a showcase of our beautiful posters throughout the years. 🥰

25/10/2025

Cinemaissí warmly thanks all our wonderful sponsors and collaborators. Our 20th edition would not have been possible without your help and generosity! 💕

Once again this year, we were delighted to treat our guests at the opening gala to a fresh and tasty beer selection from Fat Lizard Beer. The Embassy of Uruguay and the Embassy of Argentina graciously filled our glasses with delicious wines, while Tinku Latin Flavors catered the guests with mouth-watering treats. 🤤

Our dear, hard-working volunteers didn’t have to go hungry or thirsty either, thanks to Coolhead Brew who makes sure the Cinemaissí team stays refreshed throughout the festival. Ravintola Bruket kept our volunteers well fed on Thursday. 🥰

A special thank-you goes to BO&BO for supporting our post-screening discussions. We were also thrilled to welcome Nathaly Pinto, Manuel Díaz Tufinio, Paola Fernanda, and Ruth Franco as our panelists, and Maija Repo as the moderator of our Sunday’s panel. 💡

Thank you Cultural Centre Caisa, Kino Engel, Cinema Orion, Gilda, and Kino Konepaja for providing the grounds for our festival. 📽

Finally, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to our funders - City of Helsinki and Taike - as well as all our collaborating partners: the embassies of Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Spain, Uruguay, Colombia, Portugal, and Brazil; Instituto Guimarães Rosa, Instituto Camões, Globe Art Point, the Ibero-American Institute of Finland, Suomi–Kuuba-seura, Oulu–Matagalpa Friendship Association, and Oulun elokuvakeskus. 🍂

The weekend is still filled with Latin American cinematic gems. See you at the festival! 🤩

📸:
1, 5 Tuuli Tuominen
2-4, 6 Mónica Celeste
7 Roberto Puentes
8-10 Alejandro Ramirez

24/10/2025

🕵🏼‍♂️ The Mole Agent (El agente topo) seuraa vanhainkotiin soluttautunutta yksityisetsivää. Dokumentaarinen, humoristinen ja koskettava elokuva ei mässäile väärinkäytöksillä, vaan pureutuu vanhusten yksinäisyyteen ja eristäytyneisyyteen lämpimällä ja inhimillisellä otteella.

🎥 Elokuva esitetään Orionissa la 25.10. klo 14. Elokuva on espanjaksi puhuttua ja suomeksi tekstitetty.

👉 Osta liput: https://fienta.com/themoleagent

🌽 Cinemaissí – Latin American Film Festival in Helsinki viettää tänä vuonna 20-vuotisjuhlaansa. Juhlavuoden festivaali järjestetään 22.–26. lokakuuta 2025.
Vuonna 2005 perustettu Cinemaissí on Pohjoismaiden vanhin Latinalaisen Amerikan elokuvaan keskittyvä festivaali.

➡️ Katso elokuvan traileri:

Maite Alberdi | Chile | 1h 30mCinemaissí 2025, 20th Anniversary Official Selection

23/10/2025

🌽 INTRODUCING: BRAND-NEW MERCH 🌽

This year’s Cinemaissí merch features a canvas tote bag with our new logo, anniversary posters, and a beautiful set of stickers.

You can grab yours during the festival at the Culture Centre Caisa or order them via our webshop: https://fienta.com/o/cinemaissi

The merch pick up is at Caisa (Kaikukatu 4B).

👜 The tote bag is made from 100% cotton (310 g/m²) and features a double-sided print. It measures 38 x 47 cm, with 70 cm long handles for comfortable carrying. The bag costs €15.

🔴 Our beautiful sticker set includes two glossy, round vinyl stickers in two different colors. Each sticker measures 60 mm in diameter. The set costs €3.

📌 Our exclusive anniversary A3 posters are also available for purchase! You can choose between two designs. The poster costs €4.

22/10/2025

💕 SAFER SPACE GUIDELINES 💕

Let’s create a safer space together! Cinemaissí follows the principles of equality and safer spaces in all our events.

Everyone attending the festival has the right to feel safe, without fear of any kind of discrimination, harassment, or abuse. Treat everyone with respect and kindness.

The principles and practices of safer space aim to create an environment where everyone actively contributes to an atmosphere of equality, respect, and open dialogue. You can read our guidelines at cinemaissi.com/info/ and if you have any questions or feedback, don't hesitate to contact us.

🍂 ACCESSIBILITY 🍂

We have updated the accessibility of our venues on our website at cinemaissi.com/info/. If you have questions or concerns about the festival's accessibility, contact: [email protected].

🇫🇮 TURVALLISEMMAN TILAN PERIAATTEET JA ESTEETTÖMYYS 🇫🇮

Cinemaissí noudattaa tapahtumissaan yhdenvertaisuuden ja turvallisemman tilan periaatteita.

Jokaisella Cinemaissíin osallistuvalla on oikeus tuntea olonsa turvalliseksi ilman pelkoa minkäänlaisesta syrjinnästä, häirinnästä, seksuaalisesta, fyysisestä tai verbaalisesta häirinnästä. Kohdellaan toisiamme kunnioittavasti ja ystävällisesti.

Turvallisemman tilan periaatteilla ja toimintatavoilla halutaan luoda tila, jossa kaikki pyrkivät omalla toiminnallaan rakentamaan yhdenvertaista, kunnioittavaa ja avointa ilmapiiriä ja keskustelua.

Olemme päivittäneet turvallisemman tilan periaatteet sekä festivaalin esteettömyystiedot nettisivuillemme: cinemaissi.com/info/

Tiedot löytyvät sivuiltamme vain englanniksi. Jos sinulla on kysyttävää turvallisemman tilan periaatteisiin tai esteettömyyteen liittyen, ota yhteyttä: [email protected]

21/10/2025

This year, once again, we have two fantastic post-screening conversations that are sure to offer you deeper insights! 🤩

🍂 SEEKING CONNECTION AMID TRAUMA: THE POETICS OF OBSERVATION AND EMOTIONAL ENGAGEMENT 🍂

🕒 25.10. at 21:30–22:00
📍 Caisa
🎬 After the screening of THE IVY

Psychologist Ruth Franco and visual artist Paola Fernanda will explore the emotional and visual language of The Ivy, a film that delves into the aftermath of trauma in adolescence. Through psychological, artistic, and Latin American lenses, the discussion will reflect on themes of attachment, forced maturity, gender, and the complex processes of healing – asking whether care can exist without distortion in the wake of trauma, and how cinema can give form to what remains unspeakable.

🗣 Ruth Franco is a psychologist and psychotherapist who provides psychological services to the migrant community in Finland. She has more than 20 years of clinical experience and extensive expertise in working with issues such as post traumatic stress disorder, sexual violence and attachment difficulties.

🗣 Paola Fernanda is a Colombian visual artist and experimental filmmaker based in Finland since 2013. Her work explores intergenerational memory, feminist narratives, and embodied archives, drawing on personal and collective experiences to reflect on identity, transcultural passage, and the body as a site of memory. She holds a BA and MA from the University of the Arts Helsinki, as well as a BA in Visual Arts from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia.

🌽🌽🌽

🍂 WORKING IN INDIGENOUS TERRITORIES IN LATIN AMERICA: DISCUSSION WITH NATHALY PINTO AND MANUEL DÍAZ TUFINIO 🍂

🕒 26.10. at 19–19:30
📍 Caisa
🎬 After the screening of TOROBORO

Maija Repo (University of Eastern Finland) discusses with Nathaly Pinto and Manuel Díaz Tufinio on their experiences and ethical considerations of doing research with Indigenous communities in Latin America. Nathaly and Manuel will reflect on what it means to work within Anglo-European scientific contexts while collaborating with Indigenous communities, exploring what can be learned from and with plants in relation to history, culture, and the sustainment of Indigenous livelihoods. They will also discuss the possibilities and limits of art as a means of raising eco-political awareness.

🗣 Nathaly Pinto is a design researcher at Aalto University’s Department of Design (Finland) and an adjunct professor at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. Her work builds on participatory design, using visual collective knowledge-building methods and approaches that challenge extractive research practices, especially in collaboration with Indigenous communities. She currently works with Indigenous youth and organizations in the Ecuadorian Amazon, co-designing visual devices that strengthen identity and support politicized spaces for dialogue and learning within ongoing Indigenous resistance processes.

🗣 Manuel Díaz Tufinio is a Mexican product designer with an MA in Creative Sustainability from Aalto University. He has specialised in the conceptualisation and production of objects with artisan communities. His work focuses on researching and fostering the biocultural diversity of his home country through design.