MOLSKIS / PLUMS EXHIBITION

SPLASH - FINNISH FILM COMEDY EXHIBITION. Opening gala at the Jugendsali, North Esplanade, Helsinki, 21 April 2005. Artistic director: Kai Vase. Jugendsali is a beautiful hall in high National Romantic Style. The history of Finnish film comedy from 1907 to the present in charming stills, lobby cards, posters, trailers, and excerpts. The main opening speakers were the producer-director-writer Jörn Donner, chairman of the cultural board of the city of Helsinki, and Ere Kokkonen, the director of dozens of hugely popular comedies. The incompatibility of the duo was an instance of comedy, itself. The main discovery of the project was the fact that almost half of the 1150 Finnish feature films are comedies or include comic elements. The most prominent tradition is broad farce, but there is also a vein of sophisticated comedy. The comic acting talent has always been abundant, as documented by the exhibition. The question was raised how many of the films do fulfill the promise of the good time presented by the stills and exhibits, which are funny, indeed.