As many as four of the seven films selected for the Circus & Film screening series produced by the German CircusDanceFestival are Finnish. The ensemble premiered in Cologne in June and is now touring international festivals.
The Circus & Film network project, launched by the German CircusDanceFestival, examines circus through the lens of a camera. The project aims to highlight unique ways of combining cinematic narrative and circus. The short films selected through the open call will be screened at the CircusDanceFestival in Cologne, after which they will tour the network’s international partner festivals.
Seven of the 71 films were selected for this year’s series. Four of them are from Finland: Circo Aereo’s Lähde (2025), Nuua Company’s Affairs of the Cities (2023), Kallo Collective’s NITRO (2025) and Jenny Mansikkasalo’s Vertical Feeling (2025).
In Finnish films, circus is approached from different artistic starting points, but they also have common factors: Christoffer Collina has been responsible for the filming and editing of three films, and he also worked as a co-director in one of them.
Other films in the series are Les flowers éclosent à l’ombre (2021) by French Mat Santa Cruz, Branché (2023) by Acting for Climate Montréal, and Urban Club Art (2022) by German artist duo Lehmann & Pels.
Artists move naturally between circus and film
We asked Tim Behren, the artistic director of CircusDanceFestival, which launched the Circus & Film project, and Valentina Barone, who is in charge of international relations, what interests international audiences in Finnish circus films.
According to Behren and Barone, the films in the series were chosen with an emphasis on originality, a willingness to experiment, unconventional scripts and fresh ways of combining film and circus. As the goal was to build a functional screening entity, the selection did not only look for seven strong films, but also paid attention to the diversity of the whole and the connections between the films.
The resulting entity combines coming-of-age stories, fiction, absurd humour, visual experiments and poetic approaches to the body, and shows very different possibilities for the encounter of the languages of circus and film.
“The fact that four of the seven selected films are from Finland was not planned, but a coincidence. Looking at the selection in retrospect, it can be said that it clearly reflects both the strength of the Finnish circus and film field and the significant role of artists who move naturally between circus, performances and film and actively cross the boundaries of these fields.”
“Although these four films are very different, they are united by a sensitivity in how they approach physicality: often with a certain simplicity and precision. In this case, the practice of circus and circus technique merge into the cinematic language instead of the goal of showcasing virtuosity. They also have an interesting balance between subtle melancholy and humour, as well as between the mundane and the absurd,” Behren and Barone summarise.
The audience laughed and held back tears
According to Behren and Barone, the reception of the premiere in Cologne was intense. They were pleased to see that the audience reacted to the performance as a whole, with its own rhythm and dramaturgy.
In the festival’s blog, journalist Lukas Arndt writes about the screening’s Finnish films: “The audience laughed, held back tears and stayed awake. The combination of sadness and humour binds these films together. Their quiet and unbiased love for their characters makes them a successful end to the festival.”
After the screenings in Cologne, the series has been screened at the Carnaval Sztukmistrzów festival in Lublin, Poland in July, at the Odense International Film Festival in Denmark in August, and at the Dinamico festival in Reggio Emilia, Italy, in September. In October, they will travel to Bristol Circomedia in the UK (31.10.2026) and in December to Poland for the Short Waves Festival (3.–4.12.2026). The partner festivals of the Circus & Film network have the opportunity to participate in the selection process and choose the films to be screened at their own event in a way that suits their own needs and screening situations. So not all films are necessarily included in all screenings of the series.
Towards a more sophisticated circus film ecosystem
The Circus & Film network was born out of the observation that there are artists in the field who create impressive works that combine contemporary circus and film, but circus films lack visibility, dedicated venues and international distribution structures.
The aim of the network is to increase the visibility and appreciation of contemporary circus film, to encourage circus artists to explore film as an independent means of artistic expression, to encourage festivals to include films in their repertoire, and to create more international screening opportunities for artists.
“We are interested in creating opportunities for encounters, discussions, workshops, artistic research and knowledge exchange between circus artists and filmmakers. In this way, we could gradually build an even more sustainable international ecosystem around circus film. We are looking for funding to develop these ideas further,” Behren and Barone say. According to them, interest in the network is constantly growing.
The current members of the network are: Short Waves Festival (PL), Circus City Bristol (UK), Moovy Tanzfilm Festival Köln (DE), Dynamo Workspace and OFF – Odense International Film Festival (DK), Carnaval Sztukmistrzów (PL), Dinamico Festival (IT), Flic Circus School (IT) and Cirkus Kolektiv (HR).
Finnish circus films tour international festivals – Circus & Dance Finland