FINNISH PROGRAMS @ SCANDINAVIA HOUSE, WINTER & SPRING 2010
Films
New Nordic Cinema
February 17 - May 8, 2010
Wednesdays @ 6:30 pm & Saturdays @ 3 pm
Individual Tickets: $9 ($6 ASF Members); Series Pass: $72 ($48 ASF Members)
Scandinavia House presents some of the most influential and successful Nordic films to New York audiences from Finland, Denmark, and Iceland in our annual Winter/Spring series of recently released films. The series will continue fall 2010 with contemporary films from Norway and Sweden.
Special thanks to the Danish Film Institute, Finnish Film Foundation, Icelandic Film Center, Icarus, No9 Productions, and Visit Films.
FINLAND
Forbidden Fruit/Kielletty hedelmä
Wednesday, February 17 & Saturday, February 20
Directed by Dome Karukoski (2009). Maria and Raakel are 18 years old and belong to a community of Laestadians - a conservative Lutheran revival movement - who live in the remote countryside of Northern Finland. They are both engaged to marry boys from the community and have grown up sheltered from the worldly pleasures one would expect girls of their age to have enjoyed. That summer the strong-minded Maria decides to break with the community and flee to the city to experience the forbidden fruits it has to offer. She wants to dance, drink and kiss boys, all the while thinking she can always return to her community and have her sins forgiven when she gets tired of the city. Back home the community elders grow worried for Maria and convince her best friend Raakel to travel to the city to look after her. Soon Raakel too caves in to the pleasures she didn't know she was longing for. 104 min.
Overseas and Under Your Skin/Maata meren alla
Wednesday, February 24 & Saturday, February 27
Directed by Lenka Hellstedt (2008). Overseas and Under Your Skin tells the story of Ida, a young woman who is almost thirty, unemployed, and lives at home with her activist mother, Kati. With all the best intentions, Kati tries to set Ida up with a job at her work. This simply drives Ida to prove to her mother that she can take care of herself. Under the encouragement of her new friend, Ville, Ida decides to do something about her life and takes off for Berlin to find a job, and perhaps herself. Slightly bewildered, but excited by the big city, Ida is having the time of her life. Back in Finland however, her mother finds out she is terminally ill. Not wanting to hinder Ida in her quest for independence, Kati neglects to tell her daughter of her condition. 86 min.
Recipes for Disaster/Katastrofin ainekset
Wednesday, March 3 & Saturday, March 6
Directed by John Webster (2008). Recipes for Disaster is a film about climate change and catastrophe. We love to blame the corporations and industries for what's going wrong with the planet, but we are mistaken; it's up to the individual to make a change. Director John Webster shows us that at the core of the impending climate catastrophe are those little failures that we as individuals make every day, and that are so much a part of human nature: all the everyday stuff that we don't do or that we can't help doing that eventually lead to destruction. Webster and his family decide to kick the oil habit. Quite simply, they go on with their average suburban lives, but without using any fossil fuels, driving cars or flying in airplanes, or buying anything packaged in plastic, like food, make-up, shampoo, toothpaste or kid's toys. In this comedy of errors, they find themselves questioning their values and testing their willpower, and ultimately, their happiness. 85 min.
Package Deals: Finland
Wednesday, June 16,7 pm
$9 ($6 ASF Members)
Suomi: Helsinki, Tampere, Turku, Oulu - what lies in the urban centers of the off-the-radar yet historically rich Nordic nation of Finland? We venture there's freak folk, heavy metal, contemporary art, new media, salmiakki, reindeer, and perhaps even a Sami or two. Package Deals traveled across Finland this past summer to source the latest in its ongoing installment of geographically-curated cinematic gems. Premiering at Scandinavia House, Package Deals: Finland toasts the freshest in Finnish film, video art, and museum videos. A perfect package connecting the best of visuals and music under the Finnish denominator, everything from reaching in experimental film space to animation.
Organized in collaboration with Package Deals, an interdisciplinary curatorial project bringing the best in film, video, and music to audiences in the U.S. and abroad.
Music
Out of Scandinavia/Out of Context:
New Indie Rock from the Nordics
April 1, May 6, June 3, July 1 & August 5, all sets begin @ 7 pm
For lineup, please visit our website for forthcoming details
$10 ($8 ASF Members)
Scandinavian music is having a moment. Sigur Rós, Björk, Fever Ray, Lykke Li, Peter, Bjorn and John, The Raveonettes, Mew, Annie, Sondre Lerche. These are just a sampling of the current Nordic heavyweights on the indie charts, but the next wave of Nordic bands is upon us. Renowned in their homelands and on the cusp of breaking through in the U.S. these fervent musicians will undoubtedly join the chart-topping ranks of their established peers. They may have disparate styles, but what connects them is a love of sound, an artistry of live performance, and above all, a devotion to invading your listening space.
Out of Scandinavia/Out of Context is a uniquely selected series of musical performances the first Thursday of the month from April through August, headlining a myriad of fresh Nordic musicians that features one-off and premiere performances.Through subtle and deft curating of distinctly different styles of music, Out of Scandinavia/Out of Context will satiate your craving for innovative and compelling new indie rock from the Nordics.
Out of Scandinavia/Out of Context is made possible in part by the Consulate General of Denmark, New York; the Consulate General of Finland, New York; the Honorary Consulate General of Sweden, New York; and Iceland Naturally.
The Scandia String Quartet
Thursday, May 20, 8 pm
$15 ($10 ASF Members; FREE to students with a valid ID)
Founded in 2005 and the initiative of the four principal string players of the New York Scandia Symphony, the Scandia String Quartet will perform a vibrant selection of quartets by Grieg, Sibelius, Weyse, Nielsen, and Langgaard. Since its inception, the quartet has been the solid foundation of the Scandinavian Music Festival held in Fort Tryon Park in northern Manhattan in June. Like the Scandia Symphony, the Scandia String Quartet is dedicated to performing and recording music of the Scandinavian countries and composers, introducing previously unknown and seldom performed compositions to American audiences.
The quartet has undertaken several premieres of works by living composers from Scandinavia and of music relating to Scandinavia. The Scandia String Quartet has appeared at a number of concerts and events and has collaborated with soloists and composers of Scandinavian descent, as well as with other members of the New York Scandia Symphony.
Lectures & Literary Events
Jean Sibelius: A Composer's Life and the Awakening of Finland
Lecture by Dr. Glenda Goss
Tuesday, February 23, 6:30 pm
$10 ($8 ASF Members; FREE to students with a valid ID)
Composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) came to prominence during Finland's golden age of the arts. The timing was no coincidence, for Sibelius helped to shape that golden era while in turn being shaped by it. In her talk, Dr. Glenda Dawn Goss, Professor of Musicology at the University of Georgia and 1996 Visiting Professor at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, will present this national creative tide in the context of Nordic cultural currents and will discuss the vital importance of the wider Nordic world for the creation of that display. The events of Finland's golden age were fueled by wider geo-political forces in the course of which Finland came under Russian control after centuries of being a part of Sweden. The push and pull of east and west spurred Sibelius and his contemporaries to create a dazzling outpouring of music, art, drama, and literature that endowed Finns with a sense of pride, awakened them to their unique heritage, and defined what it meant to be Finnish.
The American Girl
Reading & book talk with Monika Fagerholm
Tuesday, March 9, 6:30 pm
FREE, no tickets or reservations required; seating is first-come first-served
In 1969, a young American girl named Eddie de Wire travels from Coney Island to the swampy coast of Finland and drowns in a marsh while wearing a red plastic raincoat, her premature death becoming part of local folklore. As her mythology builds, two imaginative and ferociously devoted young friends-Sandra and Doris, each with their own troubled history-search for hidden meaning and answers to Eddie's demise. The girls construct their own world, their own language, and their own rules. But playing adult games has adult consequences, and what begins as two girls striking matches leads to an inferno that threatens to consume them and tear their worlds apart.
Gyrating from the swinging 60s to the mod early 70s, this complex narrative is kept on track by Fagerholm's gifts as a storyteller. Part mysterious gothic saga, part chronicle of an era, and part a portrait of youth on the cusp of sexual awakening, The American Girl is a bewitching glimpse into the human psyche.
Already an international phenomenon, The American Girl from Scandinavian novelist Monika Fagerholm is simply unforgettable. A number one bestseller in Sweden and Finland, it has sold more than 200,000 copies to date, and has been sold in 13 countries. It is the recipient of the premier literary award in Sweden- the August Prize, as well as The Aniara Prize and The Gothenburg Post Award, and has been short-listed for The International IMPAC Literary Award.
Monika Fagerholm, one of Scandinavia's most renowned authors, was born in Helsinki, Finland in 1961 and belongs to the Swedish-speaking community in Finland. Her much praised first novel, Wonderful Women by the Sea (New Press, 1997), won numerous awards, was short-listed for both the August Prize and the Finlandia Prize, and was made into a motion picture. With the publication of Diva in 1998, Fagerholm stirred up a cult-like following across Scandinavia and was awarded The Swedish Literature Society Award and Nyland's Art Award.
Miss Julie
The Scandinavian American Theater Company
June 10-12 & 17-19, all performances @ 7:30 pm
$25 ($18 ASF Members and students with a valid ID)
Midsummer, the longest night of the year. A duo in a dance of power, sex, dreams and violence swirling out of control: Miss Julie and Jean, her father's valet, dreaming of a different life, bring their conflict of class, wealth, and gender into the cook Kristine's arena of the kitchen.
With soundscapes, multiple videos, and dynamic physical staging, SATC brings August Strindberg's timeless classic to the stage in Victor Borge Hall. Miss Julie will be their debut production.
Contemporary Scandinavian Theater: Staged Readings
Monday, May 3, 7 pm
FREE, no tickets or reservations required; seating is first-come first-served
Staged readings of contemporary Scandinavian plays directed by Anders Cato that feature Danish actress Charlotte Munch as well as from members of the Scandinavia American Theater Company (SATC). SATC was founded by a team of Scandinavian theater artists in April 2009 and is the first cross-Scandinavian theater company in New York. Its aim is to further Scandinavian performingarts in New York by staging innovative productions of plays from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. SATC will be a home for Scandinavian performing artists in New York and therefore aims to incorporate dance, music, and visual arts as well as theater in its productions.
Kids & Families
Aladdin
The Lahjan Tytöt Aesthetic Gymnastics Club
Thursday, February 25, 5 pm
FREE, no tickets or reservations required; seating is first-come first-served
The Finnish gymnastic group Lahjan Tytöt combines Finnish art and sport in an enchanting combination of high-energy modern dance, group aesthetic gymnastics, and traditional Finnish folk song and dance. The performance at Scandinavia House will tell the story of Aladdin, interpreted through dance and aesthetic group gymnastics. Founded in Turku, Finland in 1971, the club boasts 750 members from age 2 through 80. It has been a formidable presence in national and international competitions, winning the Finnish Cup and taking the silver medal in the world championship.
Saturday Morning Storytelling
with the Hans Christian Andersen Storytellers
Saturdays, February 20, March 13, April 10 & May 8, 11 am
FREE, no reservations are necessary for Saturday Morning Storytelling, ages 5+
Some of New York's most famous storytellers bring to life exciting tales of mythical creatures and fantastic adventures from Scandinavia and the far North.
March 13: Stories from Finland & Other Tales with Swedish Ballads told and sung by Johanna Hongell-Darsee
H.C. Andersen Storytellers Artistic Director: Diane Wolkstein. Storytelling at Scandinavia House is made possible by support from DeWitt Stern Group, Inc. and DeWitt Stern Imperatore.
Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America
58 Park Avenue (between 37th and 38th Streets), New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 879-9779
Email: info@amscan.org
Web site: www.scandinaviahouse.orgScandinavia House—headquarters of The American-Scandinavian Foundation—offers a wide range of programs that represent Nordic culture, encompassing the visual arts, music, and literature along with business, finance, and technology. These programs include art, design, and historical exhibitions as well as films, concerts, readings, lectures, symposia, language courses, and children’s programs that illuminate the contemporary vitality of the Nordic countries.
Hours & Admission
Galleries: Tuesday–Saturday, 12 – 6 pm
Halldór Laxness Library: Wednesday, Thursday & Saturday, 12 – 5 pm (FREE)
The Shop @ Scandinavia House: Monday–Saturday, 12 – 6 pm & Wednesdays until 7 pm
Smörgås Chef Restaurant @ Scandinavia House: Monday–Saturday, 9 am – 10 pmTransportation
Bus: Number 1, 2, 3, or 4 up Madison Ave.; Number 1, 2, 3, or 5 down Fifth Ave.
Subway: Number 6 to 33rd St.; Number 4, 5, 6, 7, or S to 42nd St./Grand Central Station.Tours of Scandinavia House are available by reservation. Call (212) 879-9779 for information.
Press information: mhellman@amscan.org
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