Welcome to Kino Aurora, an independent movie theater opened in Jyväskylä in the autumn of 2021!
Photo by Katariina Nikkilä.
Where?
Kino Aurora is located at the historical, Art Nouveu -styled building Villa Rana, which was designed and built in 1905, and re-opened as Cultural Centre Villa Rana in 2021. You can find Cultural Centre Villa Rana at Seminaarinkatu 13, located at the university campus area, next to the gorgeous botanical garden of the university.
What?
Kino Aurora screens a wide variety of movies, including new releases of global art house films and documentaries.
Kino Aurora also screens classic movies, as well as organizes special film series, that are dedicated to specific themes or directors. For example, in 2021 Kino Aurora screened a series of films focusing on animals and dedicated a directorial series to Wim Wenders.
Kino Aurora also hosts a yearly film festival for children!
LAIKKU -children’s film festival – a week-long film festival for the whole family in October. The program includes workshops, guest directors and children’s movies from around the world. Some of the films intended to children under the age of 7 are suitable for non-Finnish speakers also!
Pictures: LAIKKU -festival 2021. Photos by Kaisu Tapaninen.
Kino Aurora has 84 comfortable seats for the audience. Movies are shown with a digital cinema projector on a 7,7 meters wide and 3,7 meters high movie screen, with 7.1. surround sound system. It’s an immersive experience!
Photos by Koi Korppikangas.
How?
Tickets to Kino Aurora are sold in advance through this web page . Tickets are also sold at the door half an hour before the movie starts, unless the screening is sold out!
The tickets typically cost 14,50€/12,50€ (lowered price for students, unemployed, pensioners and children under 16). Some special events, such as festival screenings, live scored silent films or screenings including food servings, for example, may be priced differently.
You can follow Kino Aurora through this webpage and through Facebook and Instagram (@kino_aurora). You can also contact us at kinoaurora@ksek.fi or at +358 44 9010 430, if you have any questions!
Who?
Kino Aurora is operated by the Film Center of Central Finland (Keski-Suomen elokuvakeskus in Finnish or KSEK for short). KSEK was founded in 2000, and within its 22 years of existence, it has been largely responsible for most of the non-mainstream cinema activity in Central Finland. KSEK has produced multiple film festivals, various film series, numerous outdoors screenings and collaborations with schools and kindergartens, for example.
Nowadays, in addition to owning Kino Aurora, KSEK operates a touring theater Kino Metso, which visits municipalities without their own cinema and screens freshly premiered movies. The municipalities Kino Metso visits include for example Muurame, Petäjävesi, Hankasalmi, Tikkakoski, Viitasaari and Vaajakoski.
Picture: Viitasaari film festival 2022. Photo by Kaisu Tapaninen.
KSEK also organizes classic film screenings in 35 mm film format at Ilokivi Venue each spring and fall in the regional KAVI-series. The film screenings are done in collaboration between KSEK, The Student Union of the University of Jyväskylä and National Audiovisual Institute (Kansallinen audiovisuaalinen instituutti in Finnish or KAVI for short). You can follow the dates and the films screened at Ilokivi from KAVI’s own site.
Pictures: poster for the KAVI-series of spring 2022 & the film projectionist at work in Ilokivi (photo by Koi Korppikangas)
In addition to Kino Aurora, Kino Metso and the KAVI-series, KSEK also organizes outdoor screenings during the summer, in locations such as Lounaispuisto or the botanical garden next to Villa Rana. Many other various outdoor screenings may take place in and around Jyväskylä, as well as other surprising locations, film screenings or collaborations, so we suggest you keep an eye out also for KSEK in Facebook and Instagram (kselokuvakeskus)!
Welcome to the community of Kino Aurora and KSEK, it’s so nice to have you join us!
Photos: first two above: Koi Korppikangas. Third & fourth below: KSEK.