The Hunter by Iranian director Rafi Pitts.

OFFERING cinema lovers the opportunity to sample some of the best films from around the world, the annual Espoo Ciné film festival gets underway 20 August. Screening for ten days, this year the festival opens with Fatih Akin’s Soul Kitchen, a music-driven comedy about a Greek restaurateur taking place in the director’s hometown of Hamburg.

Approximately 100 feature films will be screened at the newly-renovated Kino Tapiola, the Espoo Cultural Centre and the Bio Rex Sello in Leppävaara, with a focus on new European drama.

Recently awarded as the best of the Cinéfondation student film series by the Cannes jury, Juho Kuosmanen’s Taulukauppiaat (The Painting Sellers) tells the story of two middle-aged painting forgerers and a young man who gets hired as their driver.

French films feature strongly in this year’s selection, including Emmanuelle Bercot’s controversial Mes chères etudes (Student Services); wherein a young student protagonist finances her studies by means of prostitution.

Juliette Binoche in Abbas Kiarostami’s Copie conforme.

Long-time festival favourite Italian filmmaker Ferzan Özpetek’s latest film Loose Cannons promises a spice of Italian flavour for the festival. Elsewhere, New German cinema appears prominently, touching on global themes of politics, war and poverty.

Furthermore the programme boats a number of other films arriving direct from Cannes, including French director Olivier Assayas’ Jackal epic Carlos, and Woody Allen’s latest effort You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger starring Antonio Banderas, Naomi Watts and Anthony Hopkins.

Closing the festival is the hard-hitting and controversial Danish drama Submarino, from one of the founding members of dogme95, director Thomas Vinterberg.

Finally, in celebration of U2’s concerts in Helsinki this weekend, the festival’s traditional outdoor screening this year features Phil Joanou’s 1988 concert film U2: Rattle and Hum.

JAMES O’SULLIVAN - HT