The City Onscreen Helsinki
Editors:
Pietari Kääpä (University of Nottingham
Ningbo) and Silja Laine (University of Turku)
Project Synopsis
Intellectâ??s exciting new book series The City
Onscreen will explore the relationship between
the city and cinema by using a predominantly
visual approach inspired by The Big Picture
magazineâ??s â??On Locationâ?? feature. Thus,
the book will be extensively illustrated
throughout with evocative film stills and be
complimented by short but insightful essays
about themes, ideas and key historical periods.
The readers of the book will be general film
goers as well as those interested in travel,
culture, architecture, design and the arts in general.
http://thebigpicturemagazine.com/
The city continues to play a central role in a
multitude of films, helping us to frame our
understanding of place and of the world around
us. As the rise and proliferation of modern
cities have coincided with the development of
film as a cultural medium, a symbiotic
relationship has emerged whereby itâ??s
occasionally difficult to separate the real from
the imagined. Cinematic representations of
Helsinki range from depictions of a northern
periphery ('the northernmost capital of Europe')
to a space of cosmopolitanism, from a touristic
destination to a substitute for Moscow/St.
Petersburg during the Cold War. The city looks
different depending on oneâ??s perspective, and
our book illustrates this complexity by
providing a visual collection of cinematic views
of Helsinki. The collection emphasizes its role
in identity and cultural politics throughout
film history, and its very real role as the
locus for negotiating Finlandâ??s globalization.
These are some of the issues that have prompted the Film Location book series:
How is cinema helping to shape our view of the city?
What is the role of the city in film?
How can we engage with and better understand
different culturally- and socially- situated views through the medium of film?
We are predominantly looking for contributions on the following:
Spotlight Articles
Explorations of key genres, directors, ideas or
periods linked to Helsinki (800-1000 words each):
- The Cold War and the Cinematic Helsinki
- Aki Kaurismäkisinki
- Touristic Helsinki
- Generational Gaps
- Migration and the City (including
country/city migration and immigration)
- Class Identity and the City Urban Comedy
- Rakkautta ja Anarkiaa/DOC Point Festival
- Architecture in the Cinema
Other suggestions are also invited.
Reviews section
We invite short texts (200-250 words each) on
carefully chosen film scenes. These involve key
examples of film scenes that place emphasis on
Helsinki as integral to story, character &
cultural significance in the following films:
Valkoiset Ruusut
Kaivopuiston Kaunis Regina
SF-Paraati
Juurakon Hulda
Radio tekee murron
Asuuko Neiti Töölössä
Onnenpotku
Vaala-Joutseno films (Morsian Yllättää etc.)
Suomisen perhe films
Komisario Palmu films
Onnen peli
Mies, joka ei osannut sanoa ei
Spede films (Uuno Turhapuro etc.)
Gorky Park
Reds
The Million Dollar Brain
Dr. Zhivago
Aki Kaurismäki films (Calamari Union etc.)
Mika Kaurismäki films (Arvottomat etc.)
Täältä Tullaan Elämä
Nousukausi
Ruokala Lokki
Monte Rosso
Suden Vuosi
Musta Jää
Vieraalla Maalla
This is not a complete list and other films of
importance will also be considered.
Please contact Silja Laine ((silaine /at/ utu.fi)) or
Pietari Kääpä
((Pietari.Kaapa /at/ nottingham.edu.cn)) to discuss
your contributions. The deadline for completed
articles will be in late April 2011.
