A Never-Before-Seen Brian Eno Documentary, a Performance by Billy Roisz, and a Musical by Chantal Akerman – First Highlights Announced for the Oulu Music Video Festival
A Never-Before-Seen Brian Eno Documentary, a Performance by Billy Roisz, and a Musical by Chantal Akerman – First Highlights Announced for the Oulu Music Video Festival
The 32nd Oulu Music Video Festival takes place 21–24 August, with Austrian avant-garde pioneer Billy Roisz as this year’s main guest. In Oulu, she will perform her brand-new audiovisual live piece Lunar Dust, joined by Finnish electronic music pioneer Ilpo Väisänen, known from amongs other things the legendary Pan Sonic duo with Mika Vainio.Another one-of-a-kind experience is Gary Hustwit’s documentary Eno (2024). A portrait of ambient music innovator Brian Eno, the film is edited using generative AI, creating a movie that is never the same twice. It is made from hundreds of hours of unreleased music and never-before-seen footage.Other feature films on the line-up include Golden Eighties (1986), a shopping mall musical by Belgian master Chantal Akerman, and Disney’s all-ages animation classic Fantasia (1940), shown from 35mm film and dubbed in Finnish.
Music Video Screenings Feature Experimental Gems and a Kalevi Suopursu Retrospective
Curated by OMVF’s artistic director Joel Karppanen, the music video screenings mix musical short films with commercial promos and bold visual experiments. Expect machinima-style videos made with game engines alongside classic audio visual pieces.On the big screen, you’ll see Phil Solomon’s Rehearsals for Retirement (2007), filmed inside the Grand Theft Auto game, and Johann Lurf’s Twelve Tales Told (2014). Screened from 16mm film, you’ll experience abstract landmarks like James Whitney’s Lapis (1966) and Oskar Fischinger’s Studies Nr. 5 (1932), one of the earliest music videos ever made. The festival also offers a rich selection of Finnish works.
Short films and music videos by acclaimed filmmaker Mika Taanila will be shown in dialogue with those of artist and futurologist Erkki Kurenniemi. The highlight of this section is Spindrift (1966), created by Kurenniemi and Swedish composer Jan Bark. Animated using computers at the University of Helsinki’s Department of Nuclear Physics, the film was lost for a decade and nearly destroyed. It was reconstructed in 2013 by Taanila and Petri Kuljuntausta, and remains one of the most extraordinary music videos ever made.
Experimentation continues with a retrospective of Finnish media artist and musician Kalevi Suopursu. Based in Tampere, Suopursu is known for his distinctive use of analogue VHS techniques. He has directed nearly 50 music videos for artists such as Lasten Hautausmaa, Litku Klemetti, Hulda Huima, Lyyti, and Mara Balls. His video for Räjäyttäjät’s Samassa venessä won the Golden Pumpeli, the festival’s top prize, in 2019.
OMVF’s Audiovisual Club Nights Spread Across Venues the City
Thursday’s club night takes place at Mallaslabra in Pikisaari, organised in collaboration with the Uleåborg Festival of Psychedelia. Friday’s event moves to Snooker Time, where C64-artist Tero performs with visuals by Oulu-based VJ LNA. On Saturday South Africa-born, Berlin-based Portable (Alan Abrahams) takes the stage at 45 Special. Portable is a regular at Berlin’s iconic Berghain club and is known for his captivating live shows. At 45 Special he will sing over house tracks that he plays in real time on his analogue gear. Abrahams is also a visual artist, and his own unique visuals accompany his sets. Visuals for the rest of the night are made by Norwegian artist Ola Lysgaard. The rest of the programme and full schedule will be released later in the summer.
Submissions are open for both the Finnish music video competition and the Nordic competition.
This year’s jury for the Finnish Music Video Competition includes journalist and writer Anton Vanha-Majamaa, director Kalevi Suopursu, and Lisa Hoen, festival director of Tromsø International Film Festival. The Nordic competition jury includes filmmaker Mika Taanila, Swedish director Marcus Söderlund, and artist Billy Roisz.
