Tampere Film Festival: Interview of Yelena Korhonen on the Generation XYZ Film Competition
“The Generation XYZ Competition makes the festival more approachable to new kinds of filmmakers and audiences”, Programme Coordinator Yelena Korhonen told us, as the submission deadline for Tampere Film Festival’s Generation XYZ competition, focusing on short genre films, is approaching.
More than half a century after its first edition in 1970, Tampere Film Festival has established itself as one of the most important short film festivals in the world, and naturally made it recently in Moviemaker’s ranking of the best short film festivals across the globe. Held every March in the Finnish city of Tampere, the festival proudly stands as an Academy Award, BAFTA, and European Film Award Qualifying festival. Besides its flagship National and International competitions, Tampere Film Festival launched in 2021 a brand new section, entitled Generation XYZ, dedicated to short-form genre films, with films in the thriller, horror, sci-fi, action, and fantasy categories. In view of the second edition of the Generation XYZ competition (submissions are open until 15 December 2021 on FilmFreeway), we had the pleasure of chatting with Programme Coordinator Yelena Korhonen to learn more about the identity of this film competition, and the role of Tampere Film Festival in the short genre film ecosystem.Hi Yelena, can you please tell us about the spirit and identity of the Generation XYZ Competition? And how does it fit with the other sections of the Tampere Film Festival?
Yelena Korhonen: The Generation XYZ Competition was born out of the desire to deepen the cooperation between XYZ Films, Film Tampere and Tampere Film Festival. All parties involved shared the desire and common goal of helping the next generation of filmmakers in building new international relations and gaining recognition within the film industry.
Tampere Film Festival’s programme has featured some genre films in the past, but thanks to the Generation XYZ Competition, we now have the opportunity to offer our audience several screenings of brand new genre short films (thriller, horror, sci-fi, action and fantasy) .
The National and International Competitions have been the heart and soul of Tampere Film Festival since the very beginning. The Generation XYZ Competition adds variety and makes the festival more approachable to new kinds of filmmakers and audiences. We feel this is a brilliant opportunity for genre filmmakers and their films, since not all genre films necessarily fit into our International Competition, but nevertheless deserve their place on the screen.
As a member of the screening committee, what are you looking for when watching genre films?
Yelena Korhonen: When I watch films, and this applies to all kinds of films, not just genre ones, the story is always the most important thing for me. Since I have seen thousands and thousands of films, new and interesting storylines and riveting storytelling are the things that I’m always on the lookout for. I get goosebumps if the film manages to surprise or challenge me in any way.
When it comes to genre films, I want the film to have a really strong identity and unapologetic nature. I love it when I get totally lost in the film’s staggering atmosphere and visual landscapes. I see genre films as amazing playgrounds for filmmakers and directors to try out something new, something weird and special, so my expectations are very high.
“Our great expertise in finding the most interesting new short films has not gone unnoticed as we are a BAFTA, EFA and Academy Award qualifying festival.”
Can you mention a few titles from the first edition of the Generation XYZ Competition which you especially enjoyed and why?
Yelena Korhonen: Last year I was not part of the screening committee, but I had the chance to watch all Generation XYZ films. We had some amazingly high quality films and I enjoyed every second of them. However, three films were particularly memorable.
After watching Saul & I by Jon Beer, I started thinking about the intrinsic value of art. When creating art, is absolutely everything allowed and acceptable or is there some kind of line that cannot be crossed? Is it possible to create art that is ethically wrong?
Autoscopy by Claes Nordwall was a mind-blowing experimental trip into the forest. I felt I was with the main character but yet still somehow alone. The film’s atmosphere and visual landscapes were so amazing that I would gladly dive back in again and again and again.
The Thing That Ate The Birds by Sophie Mair and Dan Gitsham was a somewhat more traditional horror/thriller film. The story was so interesting from the very first second that I was afraid to even blink. The film was very creepy and scary and even without any jump scares it kept me at the edge of my seat.
What does the name of the Generation XYZ competition evoke to you?
Yelena Korhonen: First of all, it’s worth remembering that we borrowed the “XYZ” part from XYZ Films, because they are our partner in crime when it comes to this competition. It would be nice to know how they came up with their name, but that’s a different story altogether…
When I think of the title, my mind goes to the fact that generations X, Y and Z are the generations in power right now and also the generations who have made a huge digital leap during their lifetime. Our lives are profoundly different compared to the lives of the generations before us. We are more exposed to images, video and sound than ever before and social media have made audiovisual self-expression an everyday thing. Because of that, our generations are amazingly talented in producing high quality audiovisual content.
However, we are also the generations who are paying the price for the mistakes made by the generations before us. We are always trying to find better and more sustainable ways to live on this planet. I feel that generations X, Y and Z are in a way joined together in this anxiety and uncertainty about the future that is always looming in the background.
In my opinion, both these things merge together in quite a few genre films and in that sense I’m truly happy with the title we came up with. And sure, the name does sound really cool, too!
“It’s nice to see that genre films are more and more accepted as a part of the art film scene.”
In light of the triumph of Julia Ducournau’s Titane in Cannes this year, what do you think of the recognition of genre films? And which role does the Tampere Film Festival want to play in this field with the Generation XYZ Competition?
Yelena Korhonen: I haven’t had the chance to see Titane yet but I’m really looking forward to it and I’m really happy about the recognition they got. It’s nice to see that genre films are more and more accepted as a part of the art film scene, especially since I truly feel that some genre films are real works of art.
From the very beginning, the foundations of Tampere Film Festival have lain with showcasing the diversities of cinematic expression and discovering films that highlight the world’s problems and pressure points from a fresh perspective. We are very interested in finding new points of view to fit our fundamental core values and many genre films seem to have the qualities to meet these demands. We are not interested in competing with traditional genre film festivals, but to challenge and expand the spectrum of genre films.
“Every director whose film is selected into the competition is invited to our festival to network and soak in the unique festival atmosphere, which alone is enough to make submitting a film worthwhile.”
More generally, how would you describe the DNA and atmosphere of the Tampere Film Festival, as a one-of-a-kind celebration of shorts and documentaries in Finland?
Yelena Korhonen: Every March, Tampere Film Festival can be seen and heard all over Tampere, as it fills the city with about 30,000 film enthusiasts every year, from amateurs to hard-working professionals. Many international guests keep returning to Tampere year after year saying that missing the festival was never even an option.
This is perhaps due to the fact that our atmosphere is very welcoming and friendly. Despite this, we still take the art of cinema seriously and this can be seen throughout our acclaimed, high-quality competition series, special programme and events. Our great expertise in finding the most interesting new short films has not gone unnoticed as we are a BAFTA, EFA and Academy Award qualifying festival.
This all makes Tampere Film Festival one of the most important meeting places for Finnish film industry professionals and for international film festival scouts and filmmakers. Every director whose film is selected into the competition is invited to our festival to network and soak in the unique festival atmosphere, which alone is enough to make submitting a film worthwhile (not to mention the professional opportunities that the competition selection brings). No one who has visited our festival has ever been disappointed with it!
Note that the 52nd edition of Tampere Film Festival will take place between March 9th–13th, 2022, and that the Generation XYZ competition’s winning film is granted a prize in the amount of 2,000 €.
Acknowledgements: Yelena Korhonen, Jukka-Pekka Laakso, Tampere Film Festival.
