We love Instagram and we love Finland. Combining the two is the logical step. Every Wednesday we showcase a Finnish Instagrammer who captures the best of the country. We ask about their photos and their process. If you want to share your work with over half a million monthly readers, use the hashtag #InkTankFinland. To…
Smartphones mean we take more photos every two minutes than humanity took in the entire 19th century. Apps like Instagram ensure talented photographers share amazing photos constantly. Mobile movies are a different story. We carry sophisticated movie cameras in our pockets but have not seen a similar explosion in filmmaking. Movies are harder to shoot…
Rare colour photos of Finland during World War 2 show the reality of war in a way that black and white cannot. Most people learn about the conflict through textbooks or family stories. Grim monochrome depictions often make the era feel distant to younger generations. These stories and photos can become removed from the vivid…
Finnish cinema is a tough racket. Its scope is limited by a minuscule market of 5.4 million inhabitants who speak an unusual language. Even big mainstream movie productions rely on grants to be feasible. Unlike their Swedish colleagues, Finnish filmmakers do not get a boost from a potential audience of neighbouring countries who understand the…
Helsinki’s Flow Festival is the one Finnish festival everyone should check out. Since 2004, Flow has established itself as the premier event for eclectic music. It consistently books the most fascinating alternative, indie, electronic, rap, hip hop and R’n’B acts from around the world. This year’s lineup features acts such as Alt-J, The War on…
I have lived in Finland for nearly five years after moving from the United States. Curious Finns ask many questions. Usually they start with why I came here. I tell them it was for university. Then they ask why I stayed. I stay because I love it here. After a few drinks the conversation turns…
Heroes are pointless without a proper villain to challenge them. They serve as the foil and drop the most quotable lines. A truly exceptional villain can take a mediocre science fiction television series to new levels or make an already great series even more memorable. From uncomfortably relatable to full-on madness, villains are usually far…