Helmi Donner's The Lightning Rod to premiere in Cannes
The short film is a poetic horror drama about Irina, a young mother on the run from her poisonous relationship, and her grandmother who has her own wounds too. The film is Donner’s MA film for ELO Film School Finland at Aalto University.
“It feels really great that a Finnish student film is being recognised at a high international level,” Helmi Donner says. “But here at home, the cuts and misery being inflicted on film art and other culture are infuriating in their short-sightedness.”
Previous Finnish films in La Cinef (formerlyCinéfondation) are To Return Until (2010) by Salla Sorri and The Painting Sellers (2015) by Juho Kuosmanen. The Painting Sellers won the main Cinéfondation Award.
The Lightning Rod is produced by Sandra Enkvist and Hadi Nikzad, and it stars Oksana Lommi, Janina Berman and Samuel Kujala.
A total of 2,700 films were entered for La Cinef, out of which only 16 were selected to the section. Cannes Film Festival takes place May 13–24, 2025.
More information.
Read more news
Lecturer Marja Rastas: “As a teacher, you never finish learning”
During her career, the lecturer in art education has witnessed changes in both the field of art education and in education itself.
Space technology visionary Jaan Praks awarded as Espoo Ambassador 2025
Professor Jaan Praks has been chosen as Espoo's new congress ambassador
Green factor for districts provides cities with a tool for adapting to climate change
Green factor for districts is a new tool that helps municipalities assess and strengthen green infrastructure in planning and makes the values of green infrastructure visible and comparable.