Stills from Rukajarven tie (Ambush), one of the Finnish films that are showing in Hanoi

The Finnish film industry is introducing some of its best works at a film festival being held by Finland’s embassy until Saturday in Hanoi.

The event got underway on Tuesday with the 2007 film Musta jaa (Black Ice) directed by Petri Kotwika.

It tells of the relationship between the wife and the mistress of a college lecturer, and will be shown again on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Also screened on Tuesday was the 1999 war drama Rukajarven tie (Ambush) directed by Olli Saarela. It will be shown again on May 12 at 9 p.m.

Next up will be Aki Kaurismaki’s acclaimed Juha on April 29 at 9 p.m. and May 2 at 4 p.m.

In the 1999 silent, black-and-white film, a farmer’s wife is seduced into running away from her stolid older husband by a city slicker, who enslaves her in a brothel.

Klaus Haro’s Aideista parhain (Mother of Mine), given 7.8 out of 10 points by users of the online movie database imdb.com, will follow on Thursday at 9 p.m. and again on Friday at 7 p.m.

In Aideista parhain, a nine-year-old boy was sent to Sweden during World War II. He increasingly felt abandoned by his biological Finnish mother and yet not attached to his Swedish surrogate mom. It’s not until 60 years later that he realizes both women only wanted the best for him.

The fifth film, to be shown on Friday at 7 p.m. and again on Saturday at 7 a.m. to conclude the event, will be 2006’s Kalteva torni (The Leaning Tower) by Timo Koivusalo. Note the early start on Saturday.

The movies will be shown in Finnish with English subtitles and Vietnamese voice-over through headphones. Free tickets are available at Cinematheque.

Reported by Y Nguyen