Academy of Moving People & Images

Tampere Film Festival is here 🎬✨

This week at Tampere Film Festival, we are celebrating two films by our former students!
Sanjay’s ( ) short film The Other Side of the Coin has its national premiere in the National Film Competition 7.
📅 Wed 4.3. at 18:00
📅 Thu 5.3. at 11:00
The Other Side of the Coin is an intimate portrait of three migrant workers – Man Bahadur, Madan and Durge – sharing a cramped semi-basement apartment far from home. By day, they endure the relentless rhythm of a restaurant kitchen; by night, their thoughts drift to the families they left behind and the dreams they struggle to hold onto. Their stories unfold within a larger history of migration, shaped by the unequal ranking of the world. Deeply personal and quietly political, the film reflects on what is left behind – and what is carried forward – when life is lived between worlds.

Mariia’s ( ) short I Go to the Forest to Scream screens as part of Euphoria Borealis programme. Co-directed with Iiris Huttunen, the film follows a woman who escapes her office each day to scream in the forest — until one day she meets a man who comes there to cry. In silence, they share a breaking point.
📅 Sat 7.3. at 17:30

Congratulations to both teams behind these films!

See you in Tampere!

February for AMPI graduates moved between Helsinki and Berlin, from world premieres to new audiences across festivals, screenings and a museum exhibition. Our alumni took their work in many directions:
✨ At DocPoint Helsinki Documentary Film Festival Shamsil’s short film had its national premiere as part of A New Set of Eyes: Student Films from Finland. ✨Jelica’s latest short film, Imaginary Numbers, celebrated its world premiere at International Film Festival.
✨Back in Helsinki, Mariia’s Woman Who Runs With the Wolves and Helen’s Baby Blue were screened at as part of the Do-It-Yourself! Femme & Camp programme . 🖼️ Meanwhile, Uzair’s paintings continue to be seen in the new exhibition A Dream in Four Colours at Museum of Contemporary Art , on view until January 2027.
📅Shamsil also performs in Time Will Not Tell, a post-colonial magic lantern show that premiered in Finland in February- with the next screening and performance on March 4 at WHS Teatteri Union (tickets are still available!). Congratulations .helena !

As Love & Anarchy and came to a close, we are left full of inspiration from all the amazing days of films, conversations and connections.

This year, our AMPI alumni took part presenting their films in development. Helen Aleksandrova
helena took part in the Moving People and Images Residency with her project Flame Game, while Samra Šabanović showcased her film A Dreamed Path at F-Weird. Additionally, AMPI alumna Mariia Solodiankina was part of the F-Weird jury.

The Moving People and Images Award, sponsored by the Finnish Film Foundation was this year granted to Marja Helander and Liselotte Wajstedt for their film In My Hand. Our founder and artistic director, Erol Mintas, served as an advisor in the jury for the MPI Award.

The week wrapped up in style at the official closing party hosted by .tonight at !

Big thanks to everyone who made this week and see you next year! 💫

📷
1. Roberto Puentes/Helsinki Film Festival
5. Nadya Danilova/Helsinki Film Festival

We are excited to share that Samra Sabanovic is pitching her new short film project at Showcase within the F-weird selection, this Thursday! Samra is looking for producers, collaborators and financing among other. Congratulations and fingers crossed! 🤩

On September 10th at Caisa, we had the pleasure of listening to Mariia Solodiankina and Shamsil Balkis share their experiences from AMPI’s collaborations with Moving People & Images Residency at Finnish Film Affair and Berlinale-European Film Market: Doc Toolbox Programme.
Through their presentations and reflective articles, they opened up about what it means to carry one’s stories into industry spaces like the EFM Doc Toolbox Programme and the MPI Residency at FFA.
Mariia reflected on building connections between personal vision, environmental and social questions, and the practicalities of pitching and developing projects. Shamsil spoke about navigating identity, representation, and the power of storytelling when working across cultures.
Both emphasized how mentorship, industry visibility, and peer support gave them new tools and confidence to continue their practices.
They also shared some practical tips for potential future participants, reminding us that these residencies are about professional growth but also about care, solidarity, and reimagining cinema from diverse perspectives.
Head to our website and read the full articles!

This year’s participation in EFM Toolbox was supported by Finnish Film Foundation.

Photos by Samra Sabanovic

Espoo Cine highlights 💛
🎬 Our alumna Samra Šabanović was selected as a finalist at the Sinun Cine Competition, where she pitched her feature film idea alongside 9 more filmmakers.
✨ Her short film I Need to Tell You Something (2022) was also screened at the beautiful Kino Tapiola, and on its biggest screen yet at Louhisali! Congratulations! 🤩
🎤The film screenings were part of this year’s Outsider Art Festival and Espoo Cine collaboration. Both were followed by a Q&A moderated by .p.rantanen ! Photos: Juho Liukkonen

Another film by one of our alumni is now available to watch on YLE: Peppermint Diesel 20% (2024) by Mariangela Pluchino. The film won this year’s 🏆The Special Prize in the National Competition at the Tampere Film Festival. We also take this opportunity to congratulate Mariangela and the team on this achievement!
🎬 After wrapping up their day on a film set, Liboria and Claudia stop at a deserted gas station and accidentally fill their van with the wrong fuel. When another car arrives, Liboria notices that the driver resembles an aggressor involved in a past incident with her friend. Liboria wants to leave, but Claudia decides to take the driver hostage. Can revenge become consensual?
🍿Head over to Yle’s short films section (Lyhytelokuvien helmet/Kortfilmer) and find out!
Cast and Crew 🙌
Laura Cemin , Katja Kiuru, Maikon K , Saara Hasan , Daniele Secondi
Directed and written:
Produced: Danai Anagnostou
Cinematography: Kerttu Hakkarainen
kerttuhakkarainen
Sound: Arttu Hokkanen
Production Design: Helena Aleksandrova .helena
Editing: Stavros Symeonidis
Music: Paradox Obscur
Costume: Kaisa Pohjola .pohjola & Helena Aleksandrova
Additional Costumes: Linda Kokkonen & Ellen Rajala
Graphic Design: Andre Vicentini
Produced: Kenno Filmi

Supported by Finnish Film Foundation AVEK , YLE Areena Presented at and

✨This year, our alumni Shamsil Balkis () participated in the Doc Toolbox Program at with his feature documentary Echoes of Salt Water Mixed with Air.
His MA short film How to Disappear Completely (Aalto University) was also featured in the Market Screenings at EFM.
Selected by the EFM Toolbox Program and Academy of Moving People and Images, Shamsil’s participation was supported by the Finnish Film Foundation ().
Doc and Fiction Toolbox programmes are designed specifically to endow creatives from marginalised groups and the Global South with market intelligence, business tools, and connections and aim to provide a point of entry into the international film market via a culturally safe space.

Special thanks to SES and EFM Diversity & Inclusion team for making this collaboration happen!

📷: Courtesy of Shamsil
ID:
1️⃣ A black-and-white collage of seven Doc Toolbox participants, each in a separate portrait. A red banner at the bottom reads “DOC TOOLBOX PARTICIPANTS” with the Berlinale EFM logo.
2️⃣ Shamsil, dark-bearded, wearing a black beanie and hoodie, smiles at night beside a vibrant pink, red, and blue Berlinale 2025 sign that reads “75. Berlinale, 13-23 Feb 2025.” A street lamp casts a glow above him.
3️⃣ A screenshot with details about How to Disappear Completely and its screening.
4️⃣ AShamsil, in a beanie and scarf, stands in front of a blue Berlinale backdrop featuring the bear logo. A sharp shadow is cast behind him.
5️⃣A lively group photo in a warmly lit event space, with people smiling, making peace signs, and leaning in together. Some are sitting on the floor, others crouching or standing. “Berlinale” and “Zagreb” posters or banners are visible in the background. The setting has red and orange hues.
6️⃣ A joyful group selfie of six people, including Shamsil, all smiling and making peace signs. The background features people chatting in an indoor space with coats hanging on the wall and a table with food.
7️⃣ A hand holding an EFM badge with Shamsil’s name and photo, placed over an event booklet that reads Uniquely, Universally Captivating! in bold red and pink.

In 2021, AMPI and the Berlinale European Film Market Fiction Toolbox Programme began a partnership supported by the Goethe-Institut Finnland. Following the news about our latest AMPI alumni selected for the EFM Doc Toolbox Program, we revisit last year through Roxana Sadvokassova’s reflection on her experience. In 2024, Roxana participated in the EFM Fiction Toolbox with her debut feature, Prodigal Daughter. She was selected by a committee of AMPI advisory board members Jaana Puskala, Sari Volanen, and AMPI’s founder and artistic director, Erol Mintaş.
Through workshops, networking events, and mentorship, Roxana credits the program with providing her a clearer roadmap and boosting her confidence to continue developing and writing her project.
In the presentation given to the AMPI community and reflection article published on our website, Roxana noted that the knowledge she got about funding, legal aspects, international co-productions, and distribution will be crucial as the film project progresses. She reflects that participating in the program and engaging with industry experts and fellowToolbox participants revealed specific challenges of launching her feature film, but also reassured her that success is within reach. She learned that, regardless of how unconventional a project might be, there are defined stages every feature film must go through, and the process gradually uncovers the path forward.
📖 Read the full reflection on our website!
For more inspiration, revisit the experiences shared by Jelica Jerenic and Mariia Solodiankina as well.
Photos: Mariangela Pluchino

We are happy to collaborate for the fourth time with and for the first time with Doc Toolbox Program at 🌟
As part of this collaboration, our alumnus Shamsil Balkis has been selected for the program with his documentary feature film project ECHOES OF SALT WATER MIXED WITH AIR. Congratulations to Shamsil!👏
The project was selected by EFM Toolbox Program and Academy of Moving People and Images. Shamsil’s participation in the program is supported by Finnish Film Foundation 🙏
➡️Doc and Fiction Toolbox programmes are designed specifically to endow creatives from marginalised groups and the Global South with market intelligence, business tools, and connections and aim to provide a point of entry into the international film market via a culturally safe space.
Special thanks to SES and EFM Diversity & Inclusion team for making this collaboration happen.