Films shot in Lapland are well screened in cinemas in January and February. Locality fascinates the audience,” says Juho Lotvonen, theatre manager of Bio Rex in Rovaniemi.
December saw the release of *Heroes of the Arctic Circle 4* and the Finnish premiere of *Sisu* today. On 10 February, *Jope ite* and *Skimbagirls* will be released.
– Yes, it’s that certain kind of localism that fascinates. In addition to the film, you want to come and see familiar places and familiar corners, to see what they look like through the eyes of the film. I’m also interested to see whether the actors speak the local dialect correctly in the film.
The 2022 film year was better at Bio Rex in Rovaniemi than the previous year 2021, which was affected by the interest rate pandemic and when customer numbers were limited. Especially *Top Gun: Maverick* filled the halls in Rovaniemi.
– That kind of mood of making returned with that movie in our cinema, when I saw that the viewers came to the movies with great enthusiasm, Lotvonen says.
Looking ahead to 2023 in good spirits
The year that started in 2023 has been good at Rovaniemi Bio Rex, and Lapland films are shown in it for their part.
– Big movies are coming and the expectations are already aimed at 2024, so we are confident, Lotvonen adds.
During the Corona period, movie premieres were postponed, which also caused premiere jams in movie theaters.
Lotvonen says that, as far as possible, Rovaniemi also aims to show films from minorities and other marginalized groups. Many times these films come to the fore through film festivals and come to the attention of a larger audience.
The Skábmagovat indigenous film festival is currently taking place in Inari.