Kino Laari

Laari, the exhibition hall on the first floor of Riihisaari – Savonlinna Museum, is a space that enables experimentation. The space takes its name Laari (grain bin) from the fact that one of the grain bins of the former Riihisaari granary once stood there. This time, as a part of Savonlinna’s Cultural Dream Year 2026, the Kino Laari exhibition transforms the space into a miniature cinema. The two films are shown alternately and continuously, and you can step into Kino Laari at any point during a screening and enter the world of steamships.

The documentary Saimaa Steamboat Regatta 2025, which premiered this year, features Savonlinna’s unique steamship culture. The storytellers are Sakari Auvinen, Anton Asseri Lehto, Mikko Manka, Anne Pakkanen, Esko Pakkanen, and Jaakko Puro, all of whom are active steamship operators. The story of the museum’s own steam schooner Salama is also told in the documentary.

The film S/s Mikko follows the journey of the steamship Mikko from Savonlinna to Lappeenranta, where it takes part in the Saimaa Steamboat Regatta in summer 2024. Along the way, the film explores the past and present of the ship. Expert insight into Mikko’s story is provided by Savonlinna locals Sakari Auvinen, Kauko Loikkanen, Nikke Kaartinen, and Anssi Taskinen.

Both documentaries were created by Pekka Koli and Esa Innanen.

Pekka Koli is a television cinematographer and documentary filmmaker with a long career. He originally comes from Lauritsala, at the mouth of the Saimaa Canal, and now lives in Helsinki. Over the course of his career, he has filmed and produced numerous documentaries, reports, and news features for Finnish and international television companies around the world.

The Innanen brothers—Heikki, Esa, and Jari—have also contributed to the documentaries. Heikki and Jari are experienced film professionals. The brothers became familiar with steamboats through their grandfather and his brothers, who worked as steamship captains as early as the 1920s.

Riihisaari – Savonlinna Museum is the only museum in Finland dedicated to inland waterway traffic and steamships. The museum presents floating cultural heritage also through its unique collection of over 100-year-old museum steamships. The Kino Laari exhibition is part of Savonlinna’s Cultural Dream Year 2026.

S/S MIKKO STEAMBOAT REGATTA 2024
Duration: 23 min
Planning and script: Pekka Koli and Esa Innanen
Cinematography, direction, and editing: Pekka Koli
Production: Visible Oy / Pekka Koli
2025

SAIMAA STEAMBOAT REGATTA 2025
Duration: 24 min
Planning and script: Pekka Koli and Esa Innanen
Cinematography, direction, and editing: Pekka Koli
Production: Visible Oy / Pekka Koli
2026

Both films have English subtitles.

KINO LAARI
April 28 – June 14, 2026
Riihisaari – Savonlinna Museum