HAFF

There's really no shortage of film festivals here in Helsinki, but can there ever be too many of them? We don't think so. Helsinki African Film Festival takes place in the beginning of May and brings a thought-provoking selection of contemporary African films to Finland. The festival draws attention to a side of Africa we rarely see, a continent filled with different cultures and wide-ranging issues.

HAFF @
Andorra & BioRex 2-6 May
www.haff.fi

Eva & Manu

There's something very heartwarming about Eva & Manu. This pair of gifted musicians travelled around Europe finding inspiration, working with local people on organic farms, and writing their first album. Along their travels they performed songs on the streets of different cities and recorded their journey with a blog. Now the folk-pop duo is making its way through Finland, stepping on the stage at different venues. What a pair of inspirational people!

Eva & Manu @
Korjaamo 28 April
www.evamanu.com

Nuojuva

We accidentally stumbled upon a Finnish music maker who was previously unknown to us. Olli Aarni produces some incredibly beautiful sounds under the name Nuojuva. Curiously enough, he has signed with Preservation, an Australian record label, which released his album Valot Kaukaa in February. This was the first album under the current name, but Aarni actually released his debut album Nuojuva Halava already in 2010 under the name Ous Mal. This is some very interesting stuff, best listened to with headphones on and eyes closed.

www.o-a.tumblr.com

AlppiTori

Nice new places just keep popping up in the city! We were happy to test out AlppiTori, the little sister of one of our favourite restaurants in Helsinki, Tori in Punavuori. AlppiTori opened up in the corner of Sturen- and Kirstinkatu just a few days ago. Things seemed to be still a bit in the making, but the restaurant already had a friendly feel and great food. You can expect to find the delicious burgers and meatballs that Tori is known for from here as well. Welcome to Alppila, Tori!

Ravintola AlppiTori
Kirstinkatu 15

Bon Jouni

Performing under the clever name Bon Jouni, Helsinki based singer-songwriter Jouni Pesola made his appearance last spring with the debut album A Beautiful Never-Ending Nothing. Bon Jouni's songs are heavily influenced by acoustic folk, but spiced with a touch of pop. His lyrics are filled with beautiful melancholy and the overall sound carries that special sense of Scandinavia. Catch him and a bunch of other talented local musicians at Kojaamo Folks Festival this weekend.

Bon Jouni @
Korjaamo Folks Festival 21 April
www.bonjouni.com

Good Life Coffee

The café scene of Helsinki just got a very nice new addition: Good Life Coffee popped up in Kallio and opened it's doors today. The café is run by a young coffee enthusiast Lauri Pipinen who really knows how to make a good brew, he even took home the Barista of the Year prize last year. To our happy surprise we found a flat white on the list, gave it a try and approved! The video below demonstrates Pipinen working his magic.

Good Life Coffee
Kolmas linja 17
www.goodlifecoffee.fi

Good Life Coffee from Balansia Films on Vimeo.

Bookies

This weekend we attended the ever so inspiring series of seminars on artist- and designer-led publishing. Hopefully we'll see a similar event here again soon. Meanwhile, there's still a chance to check out the two exhibitions linked to the event at Napa Gallery and Myymälä2, both run until 28 April.

Napa Gallery @
Eerikinkatu 1
www.napagalleria.wordpress.com

Myymälä2 @
Uudenmaankatu 23
www.myymala2.com

The Dø

The Dø is a brilliant Finnish/French indie-pop duo formed of Olivia Merilahti and Dan Levy. The pair met while recording music for a French film back in 2005 and ended up joining forces. Their first album A Mouthful was released in 2008 to great acclaim – it shot to the top of French charts as the first English language album to do so. Their second album Both Ways Open Jaws saw daylight in 2011. The Dø's sound comprises of experimental use of instruments topped up with Merilahti's unique voice. Over the years the duo has toured extensively around the world and lucky for us, is on the road again.

The Dø @
Tavastia 23 April
www.thedomusic.com