The Nordisk Panorama festival kicked off with it’s opening ceremony on Friday night. The evening opened with speeches by Filmkontakt Nord´s Chairman, John Webster and festival director Hanna Lahti. Webster described the festival as a typical 18 year old, which has her own page at My Space where the proud parents can check, what she has really been up to. Hanna Lahti said that the festival program ranges from YouTube to 35 mm and everything in between.

Filmkontakt Nord's director Karolina Lidin begun her term when the festival was here in Oulu in 2002, and in here her reign will end. Yesterday saw the unveiling of Filmkontakt Nord’s new director Karin Johansson-Mex.

After seeing Lasse Gjertsen’s YouTube hit Amateur and the maestro play live, the audience was in for a treat – Asger Leth’s riveting document Ghosts of Cité Soleil.

The evening ended in a reception in the town hall hosted by City Council chairman Kyösti Oikarinen and Risto Vuoria, city’s director of culture.

Those who had still some energy left in them partied the night away at 45 Special’s Rama-lama-ding-dong-club.