A list of all Finncon programme items that are at least partly in English.

Items in Swedish are also available. A full listing in Swedish of Finncon activities in Swedish and English has available been made available by Ben Roimola at Enhörningen.

The programme is also available as a grid (PDF) where purely English-language items are marked with an "e". Not all items listed here are included in the grid.

This list might not include all events that would be intelligible to an English-speaker.

All events last a nominal hour unless otherwise specified.

Entry/membership is free for all events unless otherwise specified.

Finncon presents a series of movies together with SEA, the Finnish Film Archive. These are screened at the Orion movie thetre in central Helsinki (Eerikinkatu 15). Entry will require a membership card (4€) and each movie ticket will cost 4€.

And, of course, we reserve the right for modifications to the programme.

Edits 13.8.: Expanded Fandom Friday text, added 2nd showing of Manga Mania & added ParaPara.

Edit 15.8.: Added Gosurori-Picnic.


Friday 18.8.


Fandom Friday

Finncon is almost at hand, and a good way to start the convention is Fandom Friday, a walking sightseeing tour of Helsinki on Friday!

The tour starts at 11 in the con hotel Radisson SAS Plaza lobby. There will be a tour of the con site (Paasitorni) and Hakaniemi. From there, we’ll go through the city center, and take a boat to the Suomenlinna island. Lunch is served at Suomenlinnan panimo (Suomenlinna Brewery Restaurant) at 14. We’ll have an “archipelago buffet,” naturally accompanied by the brewery’s own beers.

After lunch, we’ll be touring the downtown Helsinki until around 4 or 5 PM, seeing sights, shops, etc. On Friday evening there’s a Finncon party at the restaurant Juttutupa.

Fandom Friday is your inside scoop on Helsinki for sights to see, places to eat and drink in, where to shop for books, souvenirs and such, and an opportunity to spend Friday with other fans.

Lunch costs 14.30 euros (plus drinks), and the return trip to Suomenlinna a couple of euros. There should be no other costs for attending (unless of course you want to buy refreshments along the way, etc.)

The lunch buffet consists mainly of different kinds of Finnish fish, so if you are allergic to fish, let us know when signing up, and an alternative will be arranged for you.

If you aren’t able to make it by 11, you can join us in Paasitorni, at noon. Or call (+358 40 861 9326) at a later time and ask where we are.

If you want to participate in Fandom Friday, sign up by e-mailing fandomfriday@finncon.org by Tuesday August 15 at the latest.

Welcome to Helsinki and Finncon!


Authors' meeting (Halonen)

The Finnish Science Fiction Writers Association has organised together with Finncon programme items for those interested in writing both prose as well as critique. Discussion will follow each presentation.

12.00 Science Fiction and Genre Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (Bo Pettersson)
13.00 Write or die! (Jeff VanderMeer)
14.00 Value Schmalue: Prestige and Power in the world of books (Justina Robson)


Finnconkampen (Siltasaari)

16.00-18.00 The World Cup of Science Fiction table hockey
Play and win! Advance registration at the info desk.


Orion movie theatre (Eerikinkatu 15)

17.00 Wizards
(Ralph Bakshi, US 1977) 81 min
19.00 La Vampire nue
(Jean Rollin, FR 1969) 85 min, English version
21.00 The Horrible Sexy Vampire
(El vampiro de la autopista, José Luis Madrid, ES 1970) 90 min, English version


Saturday 19.8.


Juhlasali

10.00 Opening ceremony (30min) (con-committee)
13.30 Shriek: The Movie (30min) (Jeff VanderMeer)
The world premiere of the short film from the fantasy land of Ambergris, based on Shriek: An Afterword and directed by Juha Lindroos. Jeff VanderMeer will introduce the film.
14.00 Make Mine Manga! (Paul Gravett)
How Japanese comics are transforming comics around the world in the same way that American comics spread around the world in the early 20th century, so now in the 21st century Manga are influencing how people read and create comics profoundly.
18.00 Masquerade (Hannele Parviala)
Shining costumes in the traditional style of fandom! Get your mask on and get on stage! Advance registration by email to naamiaiset@finncon.org by Sunday 13.8.
18.30 Cosplay (Cosplay Finland)
Held as a part of the Masquerade, the Cosplay costume contest is judged by our expert judges and the critical audience jury. The contest is a part of the Cosplay Finland Tour 2006.

Siltasaari

11.00 Seven Million Magical Mecha Pilot Schoolgirls: Clichés in Anime (Jussi Nikander, Janne Kemppi, Jari Lehtinen, Ari-Matti Saren and Stepan Chapman)
Anime, like all popular culture, is brimming with clichés. Which are the most blatant ones, then? How are they used? And are they really such a bad thing?
13.00 Destruction of Dodgy Merchandise (90min) (Eemeli Aro)
An auction where the buyer gets to decide whether to keep or utterly crush what he just won. Desctruction methods & gear provided by the convention.
14.30 Jeff VanderMeer reads (30min) (Jeff VanderMeer)
Our guest of honour presents a hearing test to all con-goers: can you shut up and listen?

Rissanen

10.30 Interview: Jeff VanderMeer (90min) (Jukka Halme)
We have permission to ask the guest of honour anything at all. Come to find out if our interviewer will ask any questions not concerning squid or their mating rituals (and possibly interrupt him if he does).
12.00 Justina Robson reads (Justina Robson)
The guest of honour speaks, the audience listens. A quiz may follow.
13.00 Elegant Gothic Lolita -fashion show (Enfant Terrible)
Come watch the EGL fashio show amongst the lace and frills. The whole scale of this culture of dressis presented in Finland's largest EGL fashion show.

Lindahl

15.00 Is Ansible More Than Just an Anagram for Lesbian? (Cheryl Morgan, Hannu Rajaniemi, J. Pekka Mäkelä, Ahrvid Engholm)
Science fiction has invented some nifty concepts, but also used ideas thought out by some other brilliant minds. What are the best ones and what can we expect to see in the future?
16.00 Who's the Doctor? (Kristoffer Lawson)
Who are we talking about? Well, for one thing, we're not talking about The Good Doctor, but The Doctor. His new adventures are coming to Finnish television, hear all about the Time Lord.
17.00 SF/F Deadly Sins (Justina Robson, Cheryl Morgan, Stepan Chapman, Jeff VanderMeer)
The No-No's. Kids, don't try these.
18.00 False Facts (Eemeli Aro)
Science that everyone simply "knows" to be true -- but apparently isn't. What the...?

Halonen

12.00 Foreign Cons (Tero Ykspetäjä, Cheryl Morgan, Johan Anglemark, Fionna O'Sullivan)
So, Finncon isn't the only science fiction or fantasy convention in the world? Where can one get more of this and where? How does Finncon differ from for example Swedish or British cons? Where to go next.
13.00 One fandom? No way! (Pasi Karppanen, Ahrvid Engholm, Johan Anglemark, Herman Ellingsen, Ben Roimola, Olav M. J. Christiansen, Sini Neuvonen)
Apparently various fandoms are not the same! How does Finnish fandom then separate itself from the rest of the world?
15.00 Fantasia Noir (Ann VanderMeer, Stepan Chapman, Hannu Blommila, Ilja Rautsi, Juri Nummelin)
Modern horror, dark fantasy, and new weird. Where the heck is horror now?


Kaffeeklatsches (Lasikabinetti)

Advance registration at the info desk.

12.00-13.30 Jeff VanderMeer & Stepan Chapman
15.00 Justina Robson


Art & other shows

10.00-20.00 yoshitoshi Abe (3.5th floor)
Art by the guest of honour of Animecon III.
14.00-16.00 Gosurori-Picnic (Kaisaniemi Botanic Garden)
Provided that the weather holds, a picnic for those interested in gosurori culture and fashion. Dress in your cutest lace frills and come enjoy the company of your peers. Bring your own tea/juice mug and something edible or drinkable to share. Gathering outside the Paasitorni main doors at 2pm.
14.00-20.00 Pullip doll show (room 306)
A show of Japanese collectable dolls organised by Finpullip. Presented are original and modified dolls. Feel free to also ask questions from the owners about the dolls and the hobby.
15.00-18.00 Art Alley (room 307/308)
Get a chance to admire and buy the works of Finnish artists as originals, prints, or something completely different.


Kaisaniemi Restaurant (Kaisaniementie 6)

21.00 - late
The Finncon party, entry 2€, free if in costume. Language will depend on who you talk to. Some programme will occur, its sensibility is not vouched for.


Orion movie theatre (Eerikinkatu 15)

17.00 Rock & Rule
(Clive A. Smith, CA 1983) 78 min
19.00 Vselennaja / Kosmos
(Pavel Klushtshantsev, SU 1951) 35 min, Finnish text
Mars
(Pavel Klushtshantsev, SU 1968) 50 min, Finnish text
21.00 Just Jaeckin
(Just Jaeckin, FR 1984) 103 min


Sunday 20.8.


Juhlasali

12.00 Crossing Over: Mainstream SF (Merja Polvinen, Jeff VanderMeer, Justina Robson, Stepan Chapman; preface: Leena Krohn)
How do we define Science fiction or Fantasy? And do we really need to do so? Mainstream is borrowing heavily from the genre pool and it seems like it's only a matter of time when there are no more boundaries.
13.00 Group-Cosplay (30min) (Cosplay Finland)
Cosplay-group contest brings on stage the cast from multiple anime series. The winners are chosen by the judges not only by the quality of the costumes but also the coherence and presentation of the group as a whole. Advance registration.
13.30 AMV-contest (90min) (AMV.fi)
Amateur anime music video producers present their clips in three categories: action, drama and comedy. Winners are chosen by the judges, and the audience gets to vote their own favourite.
15.00 Panel to Panel, Page to Page: Secrets of Manga Storytelling Techniques (Paul Gravett)
An exploration of some of the unique symbols and systems invented by Japanese creators to convey time, atmosphere, motion and emotion and turn comics into an intense, immersive reading experience.
16.00 Rough Guide to Ambergris (Jeff VanderMeer)
A genuine Ambergris Extravaganza! GoH VanderMeer explains and introduces his fantastical city by the river Moth.

Siltasaari

14.00 The Essential Fantasy (Jeff VanderMeer, Sari Polvinen, Linnéa Anglemark, Elli Leppä, Cheryl Morgan, Jan Ray)
Jeff VanderMeer ponders the masterpieces of fantastical from a slightly different perspective than the usual Tolkien/brooksjordansalvatore point of view. Borderlines are explored and horizons broadened.
18.00 The Use & Misuse of Sex (Hanna Järvinen, Justina Robson, Jenny Kangasvuo, Fionna O'Sullivan, Jukka Laurila)
Mein Gott, sex! Can the alien be an object of desire?

Rissanen

13.00 Interview: Justina Robson (Toni Jerrman)
A deep psychoanalytical dive into the mind of our guest of honour, a writer of intelligent science fiction.
17.00 On Writing (Hannu Rajaniemi)
There are things that only writers know. And we're about to find out - at least some of those things.

Lindahl

16.00 Alternative History Meets Technology (Eemeli Aro, Ahrvid Engholm, J. Pekka Mäkelä, Andrew C. Ferguson, Vesa Virri)
One of the most often used method of diverting the history from the one we know, is the introduction of advanced technological inventions.
17.00 Manga Mania - South Bank Show
A special screening of a 50 minute 2006 South Bank Show documentary made for British television that includes interviews with Koike, Miyazaki, Mizuno, Oshi, Otomo and other outstanding figures. (2nd showing)

Halonen

11.00 Earthsearch -- non Anglo-American SF (Päivi Väätänen, Ann VanderMeer, Stepan Chapman, Aleksi Kuutio, Cheryl Morgan)
Ever read a good sf-novel from Cuba? Or India? Or even the whole of Africa? Perhaps not even our experts have done so, but how is the genre faring in non- Anglo-American countries? Surely science fiction is not just an Anglo-American invention?
13.00 Finn-Brit Players Goes SF
A performance by the Finn-Brit Players, a Helsinki-based amateur drama society whose origins date back to the early 1950s.
14.00 Interview: Stepan Chapman
Supreme surrealist Stepan Chapman meets the really surreal Hannu Blommila.
15.00 Writers' Bloc
Writers' Bloc is a spoken word performance collective based in Edinburgh, Scotland. And they're here...
16.00 Filkkifriikit
Do you feel like singing?

von Wright

16.00 Manga Mania - South Bank Show
A special screening of a 50 minute 2006 South Bank Show documentary made for British television that includes interviews with Koike, Miyazaki, Mizuno, Oshi, Otomo and other outstanding figures. Introduced by documentary consultant Paul Gravett.


Kaffeeklatsches (Lasikabinetti)

Advance registration at the info desk.

13.00 Paul Gravett


Jordan-curling (4th floor)

11.00-13.00
The transportation of the fine works of Robert Jordan from point A to point B. Advance registration at the info desk.


Art & other shows

10.00-20.00 yoshitoshi Abe (3.5th floor)
Art by the guest of honour of Animecon III.
11.00-13.00 Parapara (room 307/308) (FinnPARAnoids)
Parapara-show and lesson. FinnPARAnoids debut here and today! Come see and hear what this is about. (Mostly in Finnish)
16.00-19.00 Art Alley (room 307/308)
Get a chance to admire and buy the works of Finnish artists as originals, prints, or something completely different.
16.00–20.00 Guilty Gear -game demonstration (room 306) (Joonas Sten & Antti Juola)
A presentation of the well-known Guilty Gear game series. Includes discussion and free playing.


Orion movie theatre (Eerikinkatu 15)

16.00 Viaje al centro de la Tierra
(Juan Piquer Simón, ES 1977) 91 min
18.00 Invaders from Mars
(William Cameron Menzies, US 1953) 82 min
20.00 Le Prix du danger
(Yves Boisset, FR/JG 1982) 89 min, English version