City Helsinki Showbiz Latest News and Updates

trailer traces the origins of the Joint Economic Area, a fictionalized mint located where present-day North and South Korea are divided. While the aim of reunification is to benefit all citizens and establish a common currency, “in reality, only the rich got richer,” the trailer’s narrator says. “Welcome to capitalism,” Tokyo (Jeon Jong-seo) grimly adds.Like the original, a group of ragtag individuals assemble under the Professor’s (Yoo Ji-tae) tutelage, where they learn the inner machinations of a history-making heist.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer“Somebody Feed Phil” has been renewed for Season 6 at Netflix ahead of its fifth season premiere, Variety has learned exclusively.The five-episode “Somebody Feed Phil” Season 5, which debuts May 25, was filmed back to back with Season 6, which also consists of five episodes.“We filmed 10 episodes in the sweet spot between Delta and Omicron. Remember that? So from August to January, we pretty much filmed everything,” Rosenthal told Variety.

Viagra Boys have shared another new single from their forthcoming album, ‘Cave World’ – listen to ‘Troglodyte’ below.The track follows previous single ‘Ain’t No Thief’. According to a press release, the song is an “exploration into the chaos and confusion of current events through the comparison of modern man with troglodytes (I.E.

garden. There's no time to build an outdoor pool like some of the A-list, but many of them do opt for hot tubs or paddling pools.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentNetflix has unveiled the young cast of its first Finnish series, “Dance Brothers,” which is currently filming in Helsinki with Samuel Kujala (“Lakeside Murders”) and Roderick Kabanga (“Gravedigger and the Random People”) playing the lead roles.The young adult drama series is a co-production between Netflix and Yle, and is created and produced by Max Malka at Banijay’s Endemol Shine Finland. The Finnish language series will launch globally on Netflix in 2023 and will later also be available on Yle.

Thania Garcia Celine Dion delivered an emotional statement via Instagram today (April 29) announcing that the U.K. and European leg of her “Courage” tour — which was originally slated for September 2020, then rescheduled for April 2021 — will be pushed back for a third time due to the singer’s health issues.Dion was set to embark on the European stretch of her tour on May 25 but unfortunately, the shows have now been pushed back to start in late February of next year.“Well here we go again,” starts Dion in her announcement video, “I’m so sorry we have to change our tour plans for Europe one more time; first we had to move the shows because of the pandemic, now it’s my health issues causing us to postpone some shows and unfortunately we have to cancel some too.”   A post shared by Céline Dion (@celinedion)The Canadian singer mentioned she was doing “a little bit better” but the process is slow and “frustrating.” In January of last year, Dion announced her tour would come to an early end in the United States and Canada because she needed the time to recover from “severe and persistent muscle spasms” inhibiting her ability to perform.“I’m still experiencing some spasms,” she shares in her video statement.

Celine Dion has rescheduled the UK and European leg of her ‘Courage’ world tour, citing ongoing health issues.The dates have already been postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and are now set to go ahead in two stints.The first is scheduled to begin in Prague on February 24 and will run until a pair of London shows on April 10 and 11. Later in 2023, Dion will start the next batch of shows in Amsterdam in August, touring the continent until she closes out the tour with two shows in Helsinki on October 3 and 4.“Hi everyone – well, here we are again and I’m so sorry that we have to change our tour plans for Europe one more time,” the star told fans in an emotional video posted to Instagram. “First we had to move the shows because of the pandemic, now this is my health issues that is causing us to postpone some shows.A post shared by Céline Dion (@celinedion) “Unfortunately, we have to cancel some too.

NEW YORK -- Carnegie Hall plans a return to a relatively full schedule next season for the first time since 2018-19, presenting about 150 events that include Kirill Petrenko’s first New York appearances as music director of the Berlin Philharmonic.Carnegie announced a 2022-23 schedule Tuesday that includes about 50 events in 2,800-seat Stern Auditorium. Petrenko, who succeeded Simon Rattle as Berlin's chief conductor for the 2019-20 season, leads three performances from Nov.

Lordi have joined forces with PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) to support the organisation’s ongoing campaign against animal testing.The Finnish heavy metal band – who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2006 with ‘Hard Rock Hallelujah’ – posed for a new poster declaring that “animal testing is horrifying”, using their garish, horror-themed costumes and imagery to bolster the message. Pictured below the band is a rabbit that appears to have an unidentified device screwed into its scalp. Have a look at the poster below:A post shared by PETA UK (@petauk)In addition, Lordi have encouraged fans to show support for the European Citizens’ Initiative, launched by PETA in tandem with more than 100 animal protection groups, as well as brands like Dove and The Body Shop, to call on the European Union “to uphold and strengthen the animal testing ban for cosmetics”. In a press release issued by PETA, the org explained that “despite setting a global precedent, the ban is being undermined by new and unnecessary animal testing requirements for cosmetics ingredients that have been safely used for years”.It continued: “The ECI also calls for the transformation of EU chemicals regulations without the addition of new animal tests and for the establishment of a plan to end all animal experiments.”In a statement of their own, Lordi said: “The EU ban prohibiting cosmetics testing on animals is under threat because the Helsinki-based European Chemicals Agency is demanding that thousands of animals be subjected to cruel tests.

Hanson have shared a brand new track called ‘Don’t Let Me Down’ featuring Zac Myers of Shinedown.The trio, who got their breakthrough back in 1997 with their hit song ‘MMMBop’, have dropped off the latest preview of their upcoming album ‘Red Green Blue’, which is due to arrive on May 20 via 3CG Records.“‘Don’t Let Me Down’ is a song all about seizing your moment. It’s about living up to your potential,’ explained Zac Hanson.

As Netflix begins to invest more in the gaming industry it can now be revealed that the streaming giant has bought yet another videogame developer.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorNetflix, in its second games-related acquisition, plans to buy Next Games, mobile games developer based in Finland, for $72 million.Founded in 2013, Next Games has created games based on popular entertainment franchises, including story-driven puzzle game “Stranger Things: Puzzle Tales” and two based on hit zombie series “The Walking Dead.”Helsinki-based Next Games had about 120 employees at the end of 2021 and reported sales of approximately €27.2 million ($30 million) in 2020 with 95% of revenues generated from in-game purchases.The deal comes less than six months after Netflix’s acquisition of Night School Studio, a game developer best known for its supernatural mystery adventure title “Oxenfree.” Netflix has launched a selection of games, starting with handful of mobile titles, as an extension to its core video-entertainment for no extra charge. “Next Games has a seasoned management team, strong track record with mobile games based on entertainment franchises, and solid operational capabilities,” said Michael Verdu, VP of games for Netflix, in a statement.

EXCLUSIVE:  Finnish filmmaker Hanna Bergholm, whose latest body-horror coming of age movie, Hatching, made its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, has inked with CAA.

Gojira have rescheduled their upcoming UK and European tour due to COVID-19 restrictions.The French metal titans were supposed to hit the road last month, beginning in Helsinki, with stop-offs in Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Berlin, Prague, Budapest and other cities throughout January into February and March.However, they’ve announced that they will now kick off their European tour on July 5 in Brussels and conclude it in Milan on July 31 at Carroponte.The UK and Ireland leg of the tour, meanwhile, has moved to 2023 and will begin on February 11 in Dublin and conclude at London’s Alexandra Palace on February 22.Gojira will then play rescheduled shows in Bordeaux, Paris, Luxembourg and Lyon between February 24 and 28, 2023.“We cannot express how much we appreciate your continued patience and support while we worked through last month’s postponement,” the band said in a social media post.“Despite our best efforts to resume touring this month, the continued uncertainty in various territories has left us with no other choice but to reschedule the remaining dates of the tour as well.“In light of this unfortunate news we are pleased to share the rescheduled dates for the entire European Tour below.”A post shared by Gojira Official (@gojiraofficial)Original tickets for the tour – which sees support from special guests Alien Weaponry and Employed To Serve – remain valid.

Future Islands have returned today (February 16) with a brand new track – listen to the groove-led ‘King Of Sweden’ below.The new song follows the standalone track ‘Peach’, which the band released last summer and was their first original track since their sixth album, ‘As Long As You Are’, came out in 2020.It’s not clear yet whether ‘King Of Sweden’ and ‘Peach’ are tasters of the band’s seventh studio album, which they confirmed in 2021 they had already started work on.For now, listen to ‘King Of Sweden’ below.Next week (February 21), Future Islands are set to head out on an extensive UK and European headline tour, their first since 2018.See the full list of dates, which include a show at London’s Alexandra Palace, below.FEBRUARY 202221 – Helsinki, The House Of Culture23 – Stockholm, Annexet24 – Oslo, Sentrum Scene26 – Copenhagen, VegaMARCH 20221 – Berlin, Columbiahalle2 – Warsaw, Palladium Warszawa4 – Munich, TonHalle5 – Zagreb, Tvornica Kulture6 – Milan, Fabrique8 – Barcelona, Razzmatazz9 – Madrid, La Riviera10 – Lisbon, Camp Pequeno12 – Nimes, La Paloma13 – Paris, Olympia15 – Utrecht, Ronda17 – Frankfurt, Batschkapp19 – Lille, Aeronef20 – Antwerp, De Roma21 – Cologne, E-Werk23 – Manchester, Academy25 – London, Alexandra Palace27 – Belfast, Ulster Hall28 – Dublin, Vicar Street31 – Newcastle, Northumbria SU InstituteAPRIL 20221 – Edinburgh, Usher Hall2 – Glasgow, O2 Academy Reviewing Future Islands’ new album ‘As Long As You Are’, NME wrote: “‘As Long As You Are’ maybe an unexpected handbrake turn for Future Islands and it may not be as hit-laden as its predecessor, but it’s a refreshing record in its own right and one that throws up plenty of existential quandaries.”

Christopher Vourlias Belgrade-based Firefly Productions, one of the leading producers of high-end drama in the former Yugoslavia, is launching two new series as part of its slate at this year’s European Film Market.“The V Effect” is an eight-episode drama series inspired by the real-life case of an actor who commits suicide on stage during a live theater production. After the renowned actor’s death, Inspector Sorga will try to find out whether it was an unfortunate accident, a suicide – or possibly murder.“Domestic (Violence)” is a six-part true-crime anthology series set in a small town in Serbia.

Annika Pham Versatile Finnish helmer A.J. Annila (“Sauna,” “Shadow Lines,” “Peacemaker”) is on board to direct the thriller series with a working title of “ID” which marks HBO Max’s first commission of a Finnish premium TV show.Set in the art fraud world, the six-part series is co-created by seasoned writer Aleksi Bardy (“Tom of Finland,” “Moscow Noir”) and Mia Ylönen (“Bad Apples,” “Moscow Noir”) for Finnish production powerhouse Helsinki-Filmi, a subsidiary of Finland’s Aurora Studios.“ID” revolves around art fraud investigator Emma who goes undercover to infiltrate an auction house in Stockholm in order to investigate the firm’s connection to a notorious money launderer known as Blanko.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentCharades (“Petrov’s Flu,””Diamantino”) has come on board “Hit Big”, a dark humor-laced crime film set in Spain and directed by critically acclaimed Finnish filmmaker, Jukka-Pekka Valkeapaa (“They Have Escaped”). Currently in post, the film is being presented at the work-in-progress sidebar of Goteborg Festival’s Nordic Film Market.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentITV Studios Finland and French production and distribution group Oble have partnered up on “Helsinki Crimes,” a new Finnish crime drama which will debut at Goteburg TV Drama Vision.“Helsinki Crimes” is an eight-part crime series based on Matti Yrjänä Joensuu’s bestselling novels. Set in contemporary Helsinki in the height of summer, the series revolves around Timo Harjunpää (Olli Rahkonen), a popular detective known for his honesty and empathy for the victims, as well as the criminals.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentBeta Film has acquired world sales rights to “Estonia,” an ambitious Finnish series telling the true story of Europe’s deadliest maritime disaster of the 20th century. The eight-part event drama will reteam “Bordertown” creator Miikko Oikkonen (“Bordertown,” “Helsinki Syndrome”) and helmer Juuso Syrjä (Bordertown) who will split directing duties with Måns Månsson (“Snabba Cash”).Finland’s biggest drama project to date, “Estonia” is produced by Beta Nordic Studio’s Finnish banner Fisher King, and co-produced by Swedish Kärnfilm AB, Panache Production Belgium and the Estonian Amrion Oü.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent“You’re a horse person?” a Belgian stable owner asks Johanna, a young Finnish journalist delving into the discovery of a microchip in a baby’s meat patty at a Helsinki daycare center. Only creator-director Auli Mantila’s own horse affiliations as a qualified farrier may explain in part one of the most singular of entries at this year’s Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize: “Transport.”This is Scandinavian crime drama, but “ordi-noir,” Mantila told the Nordisk Film & TV Fond newsletter, in that it “happens in broad daylight, involves people with no special talent or trauma, and takes place in locations anyone could just walk in.”It also addresses a massive but little explored subject, turning on pan-European food fraud which embroils three women: Marianne, a by-the-book bank loans exec forced to money launder earnings of a sinister food import company; an insurance investigator checking the disappearance of a border control veterinarian; and the indefatigable Johanna.

RLJE Films last night acquired U.S. rights to Riley Stearns’ thriller Dual in a competitive bidding situation, striking a low-mid seven figure deal for the film, which recently premiered in U.S. Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaRLJE Films, a business unit of AMC Networks, has taken all U.S. rights to “Dual,” a sci-fi film about cloning with Karen Gillan and Aaron Paul, in a low to mid seven figure deal. XYZ Films, CAA Media Finance and UTA Independent Film Group closed the deal with RLJE Films last night in a competitive bidding situation following the film’s Sundance premiere.

Annika Pham Helsinki-based Tekele has unveiled the international trailer of its first premium crime drama “Transport”, which is in the running for this year’s Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize for best Nordic TV screenplay. The prestigious award will be handed out Feb.

NEW YORK -- Her arms at her side against her glimmering, long black jacket and her blond hair pulled into a ponytail, Susanna Mälkki soaked in several minutes of applause after a thrilling Carnegie Hall debut. She had conducted the New York Philharmonic in a challenging program, perceived as a possible prelude to becoming the first woman music director of an orchestra that started in 1842.“Of course, it’s always an honor to be mentioned in this kind of context,” she said during an interview with The Associated Press the day before the Jan.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- An architect-designer in southern Finland has returned to a frozen lake with a snow shovel to draw a large animal on the ice for the sixth year in a row to create a short-lived artwork that he hopes will "make people happy and encourage them to go out to hike in a beautiful nature.”On Dec. 4, Pasi Widgren drew a fox that measures about 90 meters (295.3 feet) from edge to edge on Lake Pitkajarvi, north of Helsinki.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentFinland’s leading indie company Rabbit Films, which has been thriving with non-scripted content for two decades, including local adaptations of “Saturday Night Live” and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” has bowed its scripted division with a bang.

Stockport tennis star Liam Broady marched into the quarter finals of the Helsinki Challenger in his final tournament before reporting for British Davis Cup duty next week.

Emilio Mayorga Portugal’s Sardinha em Lata and Latvia’s Atom Art have boarded two new projects – “Saari 2” and “Taste Buddies” respectively – at Cartoon Forum, the biggest European animation event devoted to TV series.Both series are lead-produced by Helsinki and Barcelona-based Pikkukala (“Royals Next Door Sisters,” “The Stinky Dog”), run by Pablo Jordi. “Saari 2” marks a new installment of the first series produced by Pikkukala.

Will Tizard ContributorLocal characters in Finnish TV and film are increasingly diverse in ethnicity, disabilities and gender roles, according to industry insiders who took on the issue in Helsinki on Friday at the Finnish Film Affair, but there is still a long way to go.“We know this is not just a Finnish challenge – this is a global challenge,” said Keely Cat-Wells, CEO and founder of C Talent and Zetta Studios, who has also advised organizations from UCLA to Virgin Media on disability

Will Tizard ContributorIn the Icelandic musical adventure “12 Hours to Destruction,” writer-director Nanna Kristín Magnúsdóttir revels in a wholeheartedly youthful story of a school band battling nasties to save their dance.The film, part of the Finnish Film Affair’s Nordic Selection of works in progress being held this week in Helsinki, is an ambitious project, produced by one of Iceland’s leading players, The Icelandic Film Company/Kisi Production, founded in 1991 by Julius Kemp and Ingvar

Marta Balaga Pop singer Kikka, a.k.a. Kirsi Hannele Viilonen, who passed away in 2005 at just 41 years old, will finally get her due in the upcoming biopic being produced by Helsinki’s Komeetta.

Will Tizard ContributorThe spectacular rise of green-haired Finnish pop star Alma has inspired one of Finnish Film Affair’s most buzzy documentaries in progress, “Alma – Who Am I?” Finnish director and actor Pamela Tola spoke to Variety about her film.

Marta Balaga Fresh off another win at Finland’s Jussi Awards, this time for his short film “The Bouncer,” Aleksi Salmenperä is already in post-production with his upcoming feature “Bubble,” about to be presented at Helsinki International Film Festival’s industry event Finnish Film Affair in its Fiction in Progress section. “I was sort of embarrassed by this win,” he jokes.

Will Tizard ContributorAs the end of the first decade of the Finnish Film Affair nears, the industry event’s director, Maria Pirkkalainen, who also heads Nordic Flair, notes its phenomenal growth, with more than 200 Finnish film projects showcased, more than 500 international guests brought to Helsinki, and the establishment of a major platform and networking forum for locals.And things keep evolving, she says: “We are thrilled to now branch out to offer this to filmmakers from our neighboring

Will Tizard ContributorHelsinki Film Festival – Love & Anarchy’s return to live, in-person screenings is an occasion for national celebration, says Anna Möttölä, the executive director of the event, now marking its 34th edition.While cinemas in Helsinki must still be limited to 50% capacity for pandemic precaution reasons, screenings of hot new titles such as opening gala film Leos Carax’s tragicomic musical “Annette” and closer Mia Hansen-Løve’s “Bergman Island” have already sold out, Möttölä