The fifth edition of Drifts Festival will take place across Malmitalo, Ala-Malmi Park, and Artspace SIC in the Malmi district from 14 August to 10 September 2025.

Unknown Territories is a three-year artistic initiative that embarks on spiritual and geographical journeys across Forests in 2025, Seas in 2026, and Archipelagos in 2027. It centers on the concept of Geographic exploration as a pathway to uncover Hidden cultural terrains, from Forgotten histories and Indigenous knowledge to practices, rituals, and Memories entangled with nature.

In 2025, Unknown Territories: Forests confronts the devastating impacts of extractivism, capitalism, and urban expansion on forests, which are interwoven with cultural myths, Indigenous knowledge and biodiversity. In a time of ecological crisis, it envisions these living landscapes as spaces of resilience and Radical imagination, opening pathways toward Planetary Futures where human and more-than-human coexist.

The program features local and international practitioners presenting audiovisual performances, film screenings, lecture performances, and exhibitions—all free and open to the public.

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐒

Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Anton Vidokle, Forensis(Forensic Architecture) & Bill Kouligas, Laura Huertas Millán, Satu Herrala, Alma Heikkilä, Sauli Sirviö, Niina Tervo, Nomadic Kiln Group, Ana Vaz, Jas Lin & Fitness, Lotta Petronella, Soko Hwang, Marja Viitahuhta, Leena Lehti, Sara Gebran, Shubhangi Singh, Kristiina Koskentola, Petra Hermanova, Hongxi Li, Heta Bilaletdin, Seung Ae Lee, Katie Paterson, Go-Eun Im, Tuomas Toivonen, Patrik Söderlund, Anna Pesonen, Fanni Niemi-Junkola, Alejandra Alarcón and more.

From 2025 to 2027, Drifts Festival is in collaboration partnership with the Saastamoinen Foundation. In 2025, the festival is realized together with partners including Nordic Culture Point, Malmitalo, Artspace SIC, Finnish Institute UK & Ireland, Finnish Cultural Institute in New York, Finnland-Institut, Goethe-Institut Finnland, AV-ARKKI, Up Node and NERDS with support from the City of Helsinki, Nordic Culture Fund, IHME Helsinki and 1664.