FinnSurf - documentary about a thing called Härmäsurf

FinnSurf is the world’s first Finnish surf film. It’s a freezing, and at the same time warm documentary of surfboarding in Finland, and in some other places as well. A film about true love and a passion larger than life. Escaping boring life and not regretting later. Winning yours fears. Aiming for balance, peace of mind and harmony. Relaxedness and pleasure. World where the life is dream and dream is everyday life.

FinnSurf tells a story of five Finnish surfers. Everyone has their own point of view on surfing, Finland and surfing in Finland.

More info:
www.finnsurf.fi
Pablo Films

Out to Sea – 150 Years of Sailing in Helsinki

The Helsinki City Museum exhibition titled "Out to Sea – 150 Years of Sailing in Helsinki" at the Hakasalmi Villa look at the maritime past of Helsinki from the perspective of yachting as a pastime. Besides boats, yacht clubs, sailors and boat races, the endangered underwater nature of the Baltic Sea is an important topic. The exhibition will also feature the origin of the Finnish blue cross flag, first used by a yacht club.

More info: Hakasalmi Villa, Mannerheimintie 13d

City Life - Views of Helsinki in the 1930s 1.6. - 4.9.2011

Heikki Aho and Björn Soldan, sons of renowned Finnish writer Juhani Aho, founded Aho & Soldan in 1925. The 1930’s were a golden era for the company, as the two men established themselves as Finland’s most highly regarded documentary filmmakers. They went on to make their mark as photographers as members of the avant-garde ABISS group, whose first exhibition in 1930 represented a sea change in Finnish photography.

The photographs and documentaries in the exhibition at Virka Gallery focus on everyday life in Helsinki, in its many ordinary and extraordinary guises. The works are imbued with a sense of light-hearted optimism as Helsinki prepares for the Olympic Games and a construction boom is changing the face of the city.

More info: Virka Gallery

Monocle: Helsinki is number one in Quality of Life

Helsinki claims the number 1 spot in Monocle’s 2011 Quality of Life survey, which ranks the top 25 cities in the world to call home. Rising from fifth position in 2010, Helsinki outperformed Zürich at number 2 and Copenhagen at number 3 to claim the mantle as the world’s most liveable city. An unorthodox but well-deserving champion, the Finnish capital stands out for its fundamental courage to rethink its urban ambitions, and for possessing the talent, ideas and guts to pull it off.

More info: Check out Monocle's Helsinki video

Are you sweet or salty?

To find out, you may want to try some of these:
Gaijin (Bulevardi 6, Helsinki)
Restaurant Lupolo (Punavuorenkatu 3, Helsinki)
Restaurant Muru (Fredrikinkatu 41, Helsinki)
Cafe Engel (Classic cafe reopened again after the renovation)
Chef&sommelier (They concentrate on organic food at Huvilakatu 28, Helsinki)
Restaurant Saaristo (The best view of Helsinki opens from the island of Klippan, open during the summer time only. Try the Slow Sunday brunch)
K17 Kitchen Cocktail (Kalevankatu 17, Helsinki)
Cafe Mattolaituri (Ehrenströmintie 3 A, Helsinki)
Paven (Island of Pentala, Espoo)

Check these out also.

Helsinki 78-82 - Cruising

More info: Helsinki 78-82 (Myspace)

Let it flow

Good upcoming gigs ahead in Helsinki...

May 15: Ladytron
May 31: Caribou
June 13: Crystal Castles
August 12-14: Flow festival 2011

Cloud City

Helsinki is currently developing new sustainable methods for building the city. Primarily these projects aim at increasing density at the expense of urban sprawl. One question is how to make existing built areas denser, another where and how to build high risers. The Cloud City project is one possible answer.

More info:
www.cloudcity.fi

Food Liberation Army

It all started by kidnapping the Ronald McDonald on 31st of Jan 2011. Hidden cameras of Food Liberation Army (FLA) reveal how Ronald was kidnapped in the middle of the day from McDonald´s restaurant.

One day later FLA announced they kidnapped Ronald McDonald! Their statement: why did we kidnap Ronald?

On Friday 11th of February 2011 FLA executes Ronald as McDonald's did not respond to FLA's demands and/or questions.

Later on Finnish artist Jani Leinonen holds the head of Ronald McDonald after its "execution" in a Helsinki art gallery Showroom Helsinki.

More info: www.freeronald.org
FLA exhibition @ Showroom Helsinki until 16th of April 2011.
Fox News Insider report

Helsinki's battle with the snow

CNN's Richard Quest reports on how the city of Helsinki has won the battle to keep the city moving during heavy snowfall... Well, the battle is not over actually.