2004 Events
CFF is pleased to present a special evening with Ms. Eila Lahti-Argutina, from Petrozavodsk, Russian Karelia, and Dr. Varpu Lindstrom, York University. The program is scheduled for 7 pm at Town Hall, Innis College, 2 Sussex Ave. (St. George Subway station), Toronto.
Ms. Lahti-Argutina will speak about the destinies of Finnish-Canadians from the 1930s to 1950s in Soviet Karelia.
Ms. Lahti-Argutina has published books on the subject, "No Home for Us Here" (translated by Richard Impola) and "Olimme Joukko Vieras Vain" (We Were Just a Bunch of Strangers). She has assisted with manuscripts and expert advice on numerous research projects, including documentary films. Dr. Lindstrom will talk about and show excerpts from National Film Board documentary "Letters from Karelia".
Admission to cover costs: $10 payable at the door. Students free.
RSVP: email Varpu Lindstrom or phone 416 730 8350.
Admission: Members and students $12 Non-Members $15
From the Sibeliuselokuva website: The STORYLINE of SIBELIUS
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Croft Chapter House, University College
15 King’s College Circle
University of Toronto
7:30 p.m. Annual Meeting
Possible change to the by-laws to enable the Canadian Friends of Finland to join The Toronto Finnish Advancement Association (Toronton Suomalainen Edistysliitto) in order to get reasonable rates on liability insurance.
8:00 p.m. Guest Speakers
and
Refreshments
RSVP: Varpu Lindstrom - Secretary
CFF and CFFEF present:
a film by Klaus Härö
The most delightful "Invisible Elina" is an award-winning film co-produced in
Finland and Sweden. It features 9 year old Elina, a daughter of a poor Finnish
speaking family in northern Sweden in the 1950s. Her new teacher wants to
save the run-down neighbourhood and teach the kids to speak only Swedish. For Elina this becomes difficult and the film traces, in a sensitive manner, the feelings and reactions of all those involved. Natalie Minnevik is spectacularly good as Elina and Bibi Andersson as the teacher.
Elina has received a number of awards at film festivals around the globe:
English subtitles.
Time: Tuesday, October 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Parking in underground house across Robarts Library on St George.
Tickets: Please reserve tickets in advance (for pick up at the door)
by e-mail: Varpu Lindstrom, or by telephone 416-730-8350.
Saturday, November 6, 1-5pm Symposium “The Kalevala and Mythology”
Finnish Studies at the University of Toronto & Canadian Friends of Finland invite you to
TIME:
PLACE:
Symposium Speakers:
Prof. Thomas Dubois, University of Wisconsin:
Prof. Aili Flint, Columbia University, New York:
Prof. Börje Vähämäki, University of Toronto:
Symposium Program:
1:00 Mr. Seppo Kanerva
1:10 Thomas Dubois: “ACCEPTING MULTIPLICITY: UNDERSTANDING THE
NATURE OF FINNISH, SAMI, AND SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGIES
FROM THE PRE-CHRISTIAN ERA.”
Saturday, November 6, 6-9pm “Awards Dinner”
St. Hilda’s College Dining Hall
Program:
6:00 pm Cash Bar
The Scholarships and Their Winners
• Martta Maria Aho Ensio Scholarship – Marja Appleford
Registration Form:
Name:________________________________________________________
Please send me
Total included: $_________________
Please make cheque payable to CFF and return with this form to:
Late reservations contact varpul@yorku.ca or call 416-730-8350
CFF Education Foundation presents:
CFF Education Foundation presents the much acclaimed, moving documentary “Letters from Karelia” that tells the story of Aate Pitkänen, a young Finnish Canadian who moved to Soviet Karelia during the Depression and was recruited by Stalin to spy on Finland. Many Finnish Canadians have contributed to making this film possible. The music is by Ari Lähdekorpi from Thunder Bay and the narration by Liisa Repo from Toronto. The documentary is filmed in Toronto, Thunder Bay, Helsinki, Moscow, and in Petroskoi, Karelia.
Both Kelly Saxberg, the director, and Varpu Lindström who has done the historical research for the film, will be present to take questions from the audience.
Two showings
Time:
Place:
Tickets:
Prices:
Saturday, December 4, 2004 “Finland’s Independence Day Gala” at the Granite Club.
Talk:
Thursday April 1
Refreshments.
Sibelius
Directed by Timo Koivusalo
Sunday May 2
Two showtimes: 6:00 and 8:30 pm
At the Ontario Science Centre, 770 Don Mills Road, Toronto
This film has English subtitles, and runs 120 minutes. It is not considered suitable for children under 12 years old.
Tickets will be available at the Finnish (Toronto) Credit Union, The Finnish Place, by mail from CFF, reservations can be made via email
and tickets will also be sold at the door.
CFF memberships can be purchased at the event.
The movie tells the unique story of Jean Sibelius.
It is a life story, a love story and a story about the music that changed
history.
The frame story is built on the rememberings of the aged Sibelius in the
silence of his home "Ainola". The story begins from the early childhood of the composer, who loses his father at the age of two.
The movie follows the young Sibelius and his colourful study years in Helsinki, Berlin and Vienna.
The young composer is almost constantly penniless but he is rich of ideas. Sibelius falls in love with Aino Järnefelt, the sister of his fellow student and they get romantically engaged in secrecy. Later they marry and several children are born into his family.
Finland lives under the pressure of Russia, who tries to suppress the nationalistic mood of the Finnish people. The Russians forbid any kind of performance of "Finlandia" by Sibelius. Therefore he has to perform it under assumed names in concerts.
To ease the pain after the loss of the youngest daughter, Sibelius takes his family to Rapallo in Italy and there he finds the inspiration to his second symphony.
When time of the revolution finally comes in Russia, Finland gains her independence. Little earlier Sibelius has written a song for the Finnish soldiers called "The Jaeger March". This song is too much for the communists, who put Sibelius on the blacklist.
The aged Sibelius fights alone against the notes as he tries to compose his eighth symphony.
The world is waiting for the new masterpiece, but working is not so easy anymore. He withdraws from the world and finally he throws his last symphony
into fire. Aino, that strong and brave woman, stays beside her husband till the end.
Honorary Consul General of Estonia
Laas LeivatVice-consul of Finland
Sisko Peltonen-Siren“The Entry to the European Union of the Baltic States
and the effect it may have on the neighbouring countries”
or 416-730-8350
The Invisible Elina
Montreal International Children’s Film Festival - Best feature film;
the BUFF Prize in Malmö Film Festival;
Special mention in several other film festivals.
Place: Town Hall, Innis College, 2 Sussex Ave.
(St. George Subway station), Toronto.
Prices: CFF members $10, others $12, children 12 and under $8.
A Finnish Studies Symposium
The World of The Kalevala
Saturday, November 6, 2004, 1–5 pm.
St. Hilda’s College
at University of Toronto
44 Devonshire Place
St. George Campus
After ten years with the University of Washington, Thomas A. Dubois joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 2000. He teaches, writes, and researches on a variety of Nordic topics. Professor Dubois’s publications include 3 books:
• (with Leea Virtanen) Finnish Folklore. 2000. 297 p.
• Nordic Religions in the Viking Age. 1999. 271 p.
• Finnish Folk Poetry and the Kalevala. 1995. 317 p.
He has authored numerous articles on Finnish, Sami, and Scandinavian folklore and literature.
Aili Flint heads Columbia's Program in Finnish Studies, teaching courses in Finnish language, linguistics, literature, and folklore, including courses on the Kalevala. Her publications include Semantic Structure in the Finnish Lexicon: Verbs of Possibility and Sufficiency, 1980, 220 p. As well as numerous articles. Her performances include poetry readings with the Kalevala-Trio. She has translated (together with Austin Flint) poetry, drama, fiction, and non-fiction by more than thirty Finnish authors.
Börje Vähämäki has taught Finnish language, Finnish and Scandinavian literature, cinema, and the Kalevala at University of Minnesota (1975-1989) and Toronto 1989-. His books include:
• Mastering Finnish (textbook), with Stuart von Wolff, 3rd ed. 2004, 2nd 1999, 1st 1994
• Existence and Identity: A Study of the Semantics and Syntax of Existential Sentences in Finnish, 1984. 492p.
He has translated and/or edited six books and is the founding editor of the Journal of Finnish Studies, which, since its inception in 1997, has published 15 issues.
OPENING OF SYMPOSIUM
2:05 Börje Vähämäki: “THE AESTHETICS OF THE KALEVALA”.
3:00 Coffee / Tea / Refreshments
3:30 Aili Flint: “GIVING VOICE TO KALEVALAIC VERSES IN
CONTEMPORARY SETTINGS”
4:25 GENERAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
4:50 CLOSING OF SYMPOSIUM
Awards Dinner:
44 Devonshire Place
(Parking Across the Street)
6:30 pm Welcome & Introductions
6:45 pm Dinner
8:00 pm Key Note(s)
8:15 pm Scholarship Awards
9:00 pm Raffle
9:15 pm Good Night
• Finnish Society of Toronto Scholarship – Susan Herr
• The Raija Kokko Humanitarian Award – Kristiina Holopainen
• FINNSTAAUT (Finnish Studies Alumni Association of UofT) Scholarship – Eeva Koski
• Finlandia Lions Scholarship – Andrew Cenowa
• Olli Reinikka & Ville Masalin Scholarship – Briana Illingworth
• Journal of Finnish Studies Essay Prize – Christine Evans
Address:______________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Email:________________________________________________________
Tel. __________________________________________________________
___ Symposium tickets @ $30 non-members
___ Symposium tickets @ $25 CFF members
___ Symposium tickets @ $10 students
___ Dinner tickets @$45 non-members
___ Symposium+Dinner @$70 non-members
___ Symposium+Dinner @$60 CFF members
___ Symposium+Dinner @$50 students
Canadian Friends of Finland
P.O. Box 51
4700 Keele St.,
Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Letters from Karelia
Tuesday, November 23
at 6:30 p.m. and at 8:15 p.m.
Innis College, Town Hall, UofT campus, 1 Sussex Avenue
(corner of St. George and Sussex, St. George Subway.)
Parking in underground house across Robarts Library on St George.
You can pick up your tickets at the door, but please reserve them in advance by leaving a message at 416-730-8350 or by e-mail: varpul@yorku.ca.
CFF members and students $10, non-members $12
The film is not suitable for children.