Today's festival awards gala is the highlight of the festival!

Underground Music Videos, Master Classes and Festive Celebrations: Saturday at OMVF

Saturday, 29 August at the Oulu Music Video Festival offers an mesmerising programme of experimental cinema, music videos, international guests and culminates in the traditional Pumpeli Gala, where the best Finnish and European music videos of the year will be awarded.

The day begins at 10.30 in Valve Hall with the festival weekend's second screening of Bad Vugum: Stunning Incidents, showcasing highlights from the 1990s music videos released by the legendary Oulu-based cult record label Bad Vugum. The screening offers a glimpse into the bold, fiercely independent and mischievous world of Finnish underground music at a time when music videos were anything but marketing tools. Special guests at the Saturday screening include Jyrki Raatikainen and Jarmo Mällinen, known from the band Radiopuhelimet and their extensive careers in various forms of media, Jorma Mehtonen, who taught film and video production at Lahti Academy of Liberal and Fine Arts for nearly two decades, and filmmaker and media artist Mika Taanila.

At 11.00, Studio Cinema presents Instability of the Signal (2024), directed by Japanese filmmaker Isao Yamada. Built around the music of Simon Fisher Turner, this visual album film was shot on Super 8 film and edited by hand, creating a delicate and impressionistic map of memories. Turner will attend the screening in person.

Festival-goers will also have the opportunity to meet one of the most distinctive figures in contemporary Finnish art during Anna Eriksson's Masterclass at 12.00 in Valve Hall. Eriksson will discuss her career as both a singer and filmmaker and offer insights into her creative process. The session features music videos she has directed herself, alongside a selection of personal favourites. Eriksson will be present for a discussion with the audience.

At 12.30 in Studio, audiences can catch all 14 nominees in OMVF's European Music Video Competition. The programme ranges from intimate personal narratives to political resistance, queer joy and audiovisual experimentation. The winner will receive the Europumpeli Award at the evening gala.

In the afternoon at 14.00, Valve Hall hosts an additional screening of Signals from Other Cities, curated by Arlen Dilzian, which takes viewers on a journey through the alternative futures of Kampala, Kinshasa, Durban and Dar es Salaam through music videos. At the same time in Studio, audiences can experience Ben Russell and Ben Rivers' hypnotic ethnofiction A Spell To Ward Off Darkness, a unique blend of documentary, road movie and black metal cinema. Ben Russell will attend the screening.

At 16.00, Studio presents the special screening Babylon Revisited, celebrating the history of club culture, psychedelia and underground film. The programme includes Mark Leckey's acclaimed Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore (1999) and Barbara Rubin's legendary Christmas on Earth (1963-1965). Curated by Joel Karppanen, the screening will also feature guest filmmaker Ben Russell, director of one of the collections films, Black and White Trypps Number Three (2007).

The highlight of Saturday evening is the Pumpeli Gala, beginning at 18.00 at RioLive. The event will award the Golden Pumpeli for the Best Finnish Music Video and the Europumpeli for the Best European Music Video of the year. While the gala programme is never fully revealed in advance, audiences can expect unique experiences, unexpected moments and outstanding live performances. Awards will also be presented for Best Emerging Director (Teen Pumpeli), Best Cinematography (Lens Pumpeli), Best Post-Production (Post Pumpeli) and the Audience Choice Award (Audience Pumpeli).

The festival certainly does not end with the gala. After midnight, festival-goers can continue the celebration at 45 Special, where Lara Kaaos invites you to embrace the chaos via her bold genre surfing starting at 23.00. Next, Tanzanian duo Sisso & Maiko take the 45 Special stage at 00.30. Known through the Nyege Nyege collective, the duo brings their energetic singeli sound to Oulu, combining Tanzanian musical traditions with high-speed electronic club music. Cold Blow records’ Jam “J” finishes the night with his expert musical selection. The analogue visuasl for all cub artists are made by yungsame97.

Between screenings, visitors can explore the audiovisual exhibition Archive of Ghosts at Valve Gallery from 9.00–21.00, as well as the UOMA Project group exhibition at Gallery MABD from 13.00–18.00. At Snooker Time, the Finnish music video showcase continues with programmes 13–21 screening every hour from 16.00–21.00. Meanwhile, the Silakka Lounge at Valve offers a relaxed atmosphere with DJ sets by DJ Avaruusshampanja (11.00–13.00), Monotepi (13.00–15.00) and Sofia (15.00–17.00).

Daily schedules, tickets and additional festival information are available at www.omvf.net/schedule.