Spotlight on Finnish circus films touring Europe – a blend of sadness and humour

By creating visibility for international circus filmmakers and elevating the profile of screen circus, the network promotes film as an independent artistic medium within contemporary circus. Currently, it connects festivals and organizations across seven European countries.

Each year, the network selects a curated series of short films through an open call. This year’s series was chosen from 71 submissions and features four Finnish works: Lähde (2025) by Circo Aereo, Affairs of the Cities (2023) by Nuua Company, NITRO (2025) by Kallo Collective, and Vertical Feeling (2025) by Jenny Mansikkasalo. The lineup is completed by Les flowers éclosent à l’ombre (2021) by Mat Santa Cruz (France), Branché (2023) by Acting for Climate Montréal, and Urban Club Art (2022) by Lehmann/Pels (Germany).

Artists moving seamlessly between circus and screen

We interviewed Tim Behren, Artistic Director of the CircusDanceFestival, and Valentina Barone, Head of International Relations, about the mission of the Circus & Film Network and asked what led to so many Finnish short films being included in this year’s selection.

We were particularly interested in films where the encounter between circus and film creates an artistic language of its own, Behren and Barone explain.

According to Behren and Barone, the selection process emphasized originality, willingness to experiment, unusual narrative forms, and innovative cinematic approaches to circus. “Since the goal was to build a cohesive screening program, the selection was not merely about finding seven strong individual films, but also about creating variety and relationships between them.”

The resulting lineup bridges different forms of storytelling—combining coming-of-age narratives, fiction, absurd humor, visual experimentation, and poetic approaches to the body.

The fact that four of the seven films originate from Finland was purely coincidental. “Looking at the selection afterwards, it certainly reflects the strength of the Finnish contemporary circus and film scene—and the presence of artists who move naturally between circus, performance, and film while actively working across these fields.”

“Although these four films are very different, they share a sensitivity in how they approach physicality: often with a simplicity and precision that allows the circus practice to become part of the cinematic language, rather than presenting virtuosity as an end in itself. There is also a compelling balance between subtle humor and melancholy, and between the everyday and the slightly absurd,” Behren and Barone summarize.

While the Finnish films explore circus from diverse artistic viewpoints, they also share a creative backbone: cinematographer and editor Christoffer Collina worked on three of the films, serving as co-director on one of them.

Writing on the festival blog, journalist Lukas Arndt highlighted the unique tone of the Finnish selection: “The audience laughed, held back a tear, stayed awake. It is the blend of sadness and humour that holds these films together. It is the quiet, unbiased love for their characters that makes them a fitting conclusion to the festival.”

On tour across European festivals

Following the Cologne premiere, the series was presented in July at the Carnaval Sztukmistrzów festival in Lublin (Poland), in August at the Odense International Film Festival (Denmark), and in September at the Dinamico festival in Reggio Emilia (Italy). Next, the series heads to the UK for a screening at Circomedia in Bristol on October 31, 2026, followed by Poland’s Short Waves Festival on December 3–4, 2026.

Partner festivals in the Circus & Film network participate in the selection process and curate the films shown at their own events based on their local presentation contexts. As a result, individual screenings may vary across the tour.

The network members currently include Short Waves Festival (Poland), Circus City Bristol (UK), Moovy Tanzfilm Festival Cologne (Germany), Dynamo Workspace and OFF – Odense International Film Festival (Denmark), Carnaval Sztukmistrzów (Poland), Dinamico Festival (Italy), Flic Circus School (Italy), Cirkus Kolektiv (Croatia), and its newest partner, Cirko – Center for New Circus (Finland).

Building a sustainable ecosystem for circus film

As Behren and Barone explain, the network grew out of the observation that while artists are creating powerful works at the intersection of contemporary circus and film, the field still lacks visibility, dedicated presentation venues, and international distribution structures.

”In the longer term, we want to go beyond distribution alone. We aim to create opportunities for dialogue between circus artists and filmmakers through discussions, workshops, and artistic research—exchanging expertise and building a more sustainable international ecosystem. We are currently seeking funding to develop these initiatives further,” state Behren and Barone.

In France, the relationship between circus and film has been evolving for decades. “Nexon (Le Sirque Pôle National Cirque) is one example of how festivals and cultural institutions can create spaces for encounters between artistic disciplines and help develop a field over time,” Behren and Barone note. “This is also an important idea behind our Circus & Film Network: festivals can not only present existing works, but also create visibility, encourage artistic exchange, and provide structures that enable new artistic practices to develop.”

“Screendance also provides a useful benchmark for screencircus, illustrating how an international infrastructure around a screen-based art form can evolve over decades,” explain Behren and Barone. While dance on screen benefits from established global platforms and festivals, contemporary circus is still developing these structures.

According to Behren and Barone, one of circus’s unique strengths lies in its relationship to physical reality. “Circus has a very strong connection to gravity, physical virtuosity, risk, and the question of what a body can actually do. Film can challenge precisely these qualities: through editing, changing perspectives, or manipulating time and space, it can make physical actions appear completely different. At the same time, the camera can bring us remarkably close to the performing body, revealing details that would hardly be perceptible in a live performance.”

“For us, the challenge today is both artistic and structural: How can we support artists in developing this specific artistic language while simultaneously building the distribution, presentation, and funding structures that allow these works to circulate internationally? This is where we see the vital potential and necessity of the Circus & Film Network”, conclude Behren and Barone.