Lappeenranta International Film Festival (LIFF) Beyond Frames 4-6 June 2026
(LIFF)
Beyond Frames: Lappeenranta International Film Festival (LIFF) will take place in June 2026 in the vibrant university city of Lappeenranta (population approx. 80,000), located on the shores of the vast Lake Saimaa—just a two-hour train ride east of Helsinki and near the Russian border. One of the festival’s primary venues is the celebrated Lappeenranta Fortress, an atmospheric 18th-century site perched on a hill above the lake. Steeped in history and surrounded by charming cobblestone streets, the fortress will provide a unique and evocative setting for this landmark international film event.
Originally built in the 18th century as a border defence between Sweden and Russia, the fortress today forms a vibrant “Old Town” rich in 18th to early 20th‑century architecture—complete with an Orthodox church, wooden houses, brick barracks, museums and artisan shops. In June 2026, LIFF will take over the nearby Finnkino Strand cinema (Strand‑teatteri) for red‑carpet galas, award ceremonies and screenings, seamlessly blending cinematic flair with centuries‑old history.
ENCOUNTERS
The world is constantly changing. What kind of films do we want to make and see in a situation where the significance of fictional violence is decreasing and the need to understand profound values of life is increasing?
From this starting point, we invite filmmakers to our new festival component, which is built on an educational premise – offering, in addition to film screenings, a three-day ENCOUNTERS-meeting, where invited filmmakers from different cultures will open one of their works and analyse their roles in cinema as protectors of humanity.
The educational core of the festival is ENCOUNTERS-meeting which will be held in the Fortress of Lappeenranta, a component of Saimaa UNESCO Global Geopark.
Through ENCOUNTERS, audiences will gain insight into the creative and production processes behind selected works, as invited filmmakers open up one of their films and reflect on the artistic choices that shaped the final outcome. These sessions will also explore key considerations, such as the role of modern cinema in today’s global context, the psychological impact of film on viewers, and the consequences of the dynamic interactions between cinematic elements and the audience.
The films opened at ENCOUNTERS will be screened in the presence of the invited filmmakers.
Overall, the festival, with its program, offers new psychological and social perspectives on experiencing cinema and its changing roles.
Our goal is a festival where filmmakers from different cultures – directors, actors, cinematographers, etc. – can open different levels of their creativity, as well as different aspects of our common existence on this planet, which increases understanding of the complex processes of filmmaking.
Photos courtesy of City of Lappeenranta