Two Finnish films to Palm Springs ShortFest

June 2, 2023

Rabobesto – Or How I Saved a Monster (pictured) and Polar Night Light will be screened at the US festival.

Image: Lauri Laukkanen / Inland Film Company

The Oscar-qualifying Palm Springs International ShortFest takes place June 20–26, 2023. Two Finnish films are in the program.

Rabobesto – Or How I Saved a Monster, directed by Mari Mantela, is competing among the live action fiction films. It is part of a screening titled A World Imagined. The film, which won the Risto Jarva Prize last year, follows a woman who has turned golden and lost her pulse.

Polar Night Light, directed by Niko Väistö, is a student film competing in the documentary section. It is playing in a screening titled Close-Ups. It tells about Antti who lives in Northern Finland and works with sled dogs. The film was named the best student film at the Helsinki International Film Festival last year.

Palm Springs ShortFest