Cinéstesia | International Seminar on Film and Visual Arts

Espoo Ciné Film Festival presents a two-day international seminar on film and visual art as part of the festival’s new Cinéstesia programme. Dedicated to the reciprocal relationship between cinema and moving-image-based contemporary art, Cinéstesia also marks the beginning of a collaboration between Espoo Ciné and the Saastamoinen Foundation.

The seminar opens at EMMA on Tuesday 25 August and continues on Wednesday 26 August at Cinema Orion. At EMMA, attendees will hear artist talks by Cinéstesia’s main guests, Ben Rivers and Nour Ouayda. The programme also includes a panel discussion on the role of the moving image in the contemporary art field. The panel participants will be announced closer to the event.

The Cinéstesia 2026 screening programme has been curated by writer, curator and critic Erika Balsom (King’s College London). For EMMA visitors, we especially recommend the joint screenings of Isaac Julien’s early films. Julien’s Territories (1984) and Looking for Langston (1989) will be screened at Kino Regina on Friday 28 August. A second screening of the films will be held later in the autumn at Kino Tapiola. Julien’s later work will also be featured in the exhibition Alien in Me opening at EMMA in October.

Participation in the seminar costs 8 € per day. Registration takes place through the Espoo Ciné website. Participation in the seminar does not require the purchase of a museum admission ticket.