Participants

James Nikander (b. 1990 in Turku, Finland) based in Helsinki is intrigued by the art of storytelling. A musician and an entertainer now seeking to cultivate his passion for screenwriting and filmmaking.

Surabhi Nadig (b. in 1992, Bangalore, India) moved to Helsinki for MA studies in Creative Sustainability at Aalto University. Nadig’s mediums of research-based storytelling have been with photography and writing, wants to make films to expand on what photographs cannot capture. 

Zahrah Ehsan (b. 1988, in Dubai, UAE) is a visual artist and art educator from Lahore, Pakistan, and currently based in Espoo, Finland. In 2020, she completed a degree of Master of Arts in Visual Cultures, Curating and Contemporary Arts from Aalto University, Finland. She received her Bachelors of Fine Arts with Honours in 2012,

Samuel N. Boateng (b.1994 Italy and Ghana). He was born and raised in Italy by Ghanaian parents. He moved to Finland in 2016 to start a new chapter of his life and to challenge himself in a new way. He had always loved photography/videography but never had the funds to afford a camera until he

Teresa Siltanen (b.1993 United States) born and raised in the U.S. had grown up with mobility being a major part of her upbringing due to her father’s retired profession. She graduated in Theatre Arts and spent a semester in Northern Ireland studying Irish history, language, and drama. She wants to be able to incorporate her

Kardo Shiwan (b.1988, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan) is a Kurdish-Finnish performing artist. Kardo graduated from the Helsinki University of the Arts (Teak) in 2019. Right now, Kardo is interested in the intersections of cultural research and corporeality. In recent years, Kardo has worked extensively on various projects in different positions: as an actor,  choreographer, dancer on television

Shamsil Balkis (b. Kerala, India) currently engaged with the arts collective Mätäojan Lapset based in Helsinki. His practice critically explores the representation of ethnic minorities, their identities, and their roots in the history of cinema. He has a deep passion for writing and directing stories that reflect on pluralistic societies. 

Khanh Ngo (b. 2000, Hanoi, Vietnam) is a Vietnamese cinematographer and a part-time musician. He came to Finland in 2018 to get his Bachelor of Administrator in Business Information Technology. During his second year, he was responsible of making a short film as an group assignment for a course at school, where he quickly realized

Mariia Solodiankina (b. Saint-Petersburg, Russia) explores empathy and questioning of social foundations through fine art photography and moving images. Passing through the events of the past and present she explores the possibilities of the language of art to speak and change the direction of the future. Does it have enough power to stop oppression and

Daniel Villodas (b.1990, in Lima, Peru) did not complete his studies in filmmaking in Peru. After working in different film sets as a PA and lighting technician, he wrote two screenplays for commercial purposes. He hated humanity for almost a decade. While he was studying in Peru, he experienced the loss of friends and relatives,