The art of cinema has fallen into a crisis, endlessly repeating the past through sequels, spin-offs, and remakes. Major studios keep releasing variations of stories already seen and experienced – often in weaker forms than the originals. Even more troubling is that filmmakers themselves risk becoming prisoners of trends: instead of daring to invent new forms and ideas, they settle for reproducing the familiar and safe.

The task of cinema is not to replicate the past, but to open perspectives toward the unknown. Every filmmaker should ask: does my work reach forward, or is it bound to what has already been? If cinema loses its capacity for renewal, it loses what makes it unique – the power to surprise, shock, and inspire.

Cinema should not be primarily an investment object. It should be an artistic field valued for the richness of imagination and uniqueness, not by box office numbers. Franchise productions may be financially justified, but they are lacking artistic depth: they suppress critical viewing, the reinvention of storytelling, and the courage to try new forms. When cinema submits to production conventions, it becomes a recycling plant for yesterday’s dreams.

The future of cinema will not arise from imitating trends or chasing external approval, but from the courage to turn toward the unknown. Sequels, spin-offs, and remakes must be abolished – they must be declared crimes against cinema. Every dollar spent, every thought sacrificed, every second wasted on them is stolen from the future of art.

Risk is the only genre of cinema we truly need. Only through courage can new forms, stories, and worlds emerge. The value of film should not be measured by financial success, but by its ability to challenge both film maker and audience – to destabilize the familiar and make visible what we do not yet know.

Rebellion is the condition of progress.!

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- LP

Helsinki, 12th September 2025