The Oulu Music Video Festival, now held for the 32nd time, starts today!

The festival will bring gems of both popular culture and the avant-garde to the big screens of Cultural Centre Valve over four days.

The festival opens on Thursday, 21 August, with the theme Hyperreality. Covering subjects such as simulation, video games and reality television, the boundary-breaking programme offers visitors an exceptionally varied line-up of curated music video screenings and film classics. This is Finland’s most open-minded festival of audiovisual arts, where Austrian avant-garde and experimental electronic music coexist seamlessly with Idols and Mr. Lordi. The full programme can be found at www.omvf.net.

The festival’s opening screening at Valvesali today at 18:00 features the documentary Eno (2024). This portrait of Brian Eno is as unique as its subject. Director Gary Hustwit has helped design the Brain One AI software, which generates a never-before-seen cut of the film for each screening. The version shown at OMVF has never been seen before and will not be seen anywhere else.

The free screenings of the Finnish Music Video Competition begin in Studio already at 12:00. Before the opening screening in Valvesali, audiences can experience Enter Simulation, a programme curated by OMVF’s Artistic Director Joel Karppanen. Introducing the festival’s themes, the screening includes music videos by Kendrick Lamar, Björk, Radiohead and Oneohtrix Point Never, among others.

In Roos Hekkens’ masterclass FCK PATRIARCHY*, the simulation of patriarchy is examined through videos by artists such as Little Simz and Emma-Jean Thackray. For gaming enthusiasts, a highlight is the selection of the best of the demoscene presented by Finland’s largest gaming event, Assembly. Film buffs will be delighted by the Finnish première of the Reprise version of Francis Ford Coppola’s cult film One from the Heart.

Between screenings, visitors can drop in for refreshments at the Silakkalounge in Valve’s Paljetti, where local DJs play daily. Next to the café, the Valve Gallery hosts the Broken Edge art exhibition throughout the festival.

The day concludes with an after-party on the enchanting island of Pikisaari, where the MallasLabra club stage will feature performances by MÖYHY-VEIKOT and Nykypost. Visuals for the evening are provided by VJ Jani Pitkänen, and the night is organised in collaboration with UFOP.