– Jörn Donner played a key role in securing the City of Helsinki’s support for the Pro Kaapeli Association’s initiative to preserve Cable Factory for cultural use. He also became KAAPELI’s first Chair of the Board. When Donner passed away in 2020, those close to him wished to organise a memorial event for him at Cable Factory, and in that context, to present posters from the films he directed and produced, says Kai Huotari, Managing director of KAAPELI.

– The pandemic postponed the event time and again. However, the idea of a poster exhibition continued to live on, and we have now been able to realise it with the support of Jörn’s family, he continues. – We were also able to schedule the opening on Jörn’s birthday, which coincides with Runeberg Day.

The posters span Jörn Donner’s entire film career

The posters on display cover Jörn Donner’s entire film career, from his debut feature A Sunday in September (1963) to his final fiction feature Armi Alive! (2015). Fittingly, Armi Alive! was filmed almost entirely in Cable Factory’s Pannuhalli, which is now part of Dance House Helsinki. The gallery also features the cult documentary Fuck Off! Images of Finland (1971), directed by Donner together with Erkki Seiro and Jaakko Talaskivi, as well as films produced by Donner, including Ingmar Bergman’s Fanny & Alexander (1982), which was awarded the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

The Jörn Donner Gallery has been created in collaboration with the Finnish Arts and Culture Agency and the Donner family. The exhibition posters and Donner’s editing table are from the Finnish Arts and Culture Agency’s collections, while the family has contributed photographs from their private archives.

Cable Factory Round evolves and expands

The Jörn Donner Gallery will become part of the Cable Factory Round, a tour designed for all visitors, to be launched at a later date. The tour will be available in both guided and self-guided formats, exploring Cable Factory’s vibrant history and its wide-ranging contemporary activities.

– Last November, we opened Cable Factory’s history corridor, where a nearly 200-square-metre mural series by artist Ruusa presents the different phases of the building’s history. Next summer, we will also open a graffiti gallery in our basement. The artist will be selected through an open call during the spring, Kai Huotari outlines.

The Jörn Donner Gallery is open to everyone

The Jörn Donner Gallery is located on the second floor of staircase C at Cable Factory. The gallery is open to all from Mon–Sun, 8 am–9 pm, and can be visited independently.

More information: Kai Huotari, Managing director, KAAPELI (Kiinteistö Oy Kaapelitalo), kai.huotari (at) kaapeli.com, tel. +358 50 384 1557

Photo: Jörn Donner Gallery / Karoliina Eerola, Kiinteistö Oy Kaapelitalo