THE oldest and most significant contemporary dance festival in the Helsinki area, Moving in November makes its way to the Capital Region from 1-9 November. With the events being staged in Kiasma Theatre, Stoa, Zodiak – Center for New Dance, Mediakeskus Lume and Espoon kulttuurikeskus, Louhisali, the festival proclaims its mission to present interesting contemporary works and artists to the metropolitan audience.

Kicking things off, Olga de Soto takes a plunge into history. Tracing the history of Kurt Jooss’ Green Table, a piece of art created a few months before Hitler rose to power in Germany, de Soto draws on interviews staged with artists, spectators and researchers, to create an image of a artists’ group whose journey is intriguing and inspirational to witness.

Jackass Presents Bad Grandpa

Just in case you were wondering if the Jackass crew had fallen off the face of the Earth since their 3D flick a couple of years back, here they serve up a hefty helping of mischievous octogenarian Irving Zisman (prankster Johnny Knoxville, in heavy make-up). An old hand from the Jackass stable having appeared in the previous films and TV series, Zisman and his eight-year-old grandson Billy (Jackson Nicoll) head out on a road trip across America. Male strippers and rowdy bikers are on hand through the American heartland, along with a children’s beautypageant performance that riffs on the classic scene in Little Miss Sunshine. Throw subtlety to the wind and enjoy!

Premieres 25 October

Mud

Continuing Matthew McConaughey’s somewhat astonishing about face from the doldrums of rom-com purgatory in recent times, director Jeff Nichols follows up his impressive Taking Shelter (2011) with Mud. Here two 14-year-old boys growing up in a small town beside the Mississippi stumble across McConaughey, who claims to be on the run from brutal bounty hunters after killing a man in Texas. Throw in Reese Witherspoon and more than a few Huckleberry Finn references and the McConaughey doubters left out there are bound to be converted. Otherwise, if still resisting, perhaps they can wait until McConaughey appears alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese’s Wolf of Wall Street later this year.

Premieres 27 September

Blue Jasmine (S)

Woody Allen returns from his adventures abroad, after the mixed results of previous effort To Rome With Love, heading to the West Coast of the States for his latest addition to his oeuvre. Here Cate Blanchett’s troubled former Manhattanite finds herself dumped by her wealthy husband, and moves to the Bay City to live with her sister. Under the effect of powerful anti-depressants, she attempts to put her life back on track, with the assistance of a typically cracking support cast including Alec Baldwin, Louis C.K., and Bobby Cannavale. Critics have fallen over themselves in praise.

Premieres 30 August

THE 26th Helsinki Film Festival will be staged once again in the capital city from 20-30 September. Known more widely under the moniker of Love and Anarchy, the festival is an eagerly anticipated event for the city’s cinephiles.

Founded in 1988, the festival gradually expanded from two theatres to 12 screens and established itself as an 11-day homage to cinema. During its first year the festival screened 26 films. Nowadays the programme consists of in the vicinity of 180 feature films and 80 short films. The screenings take place in the fine theatres and traditional film sanctuaries of Helsinki. Last year’s festival had over 57,000 visitors.