Welcome to the movies!

Films were shown in Forssa only eleven years after the Lumière brothers’ first public screening — thanks to the local painter Albert Lindfors and estate owner Carl Meyer.

Albert Lindfors (1860–1922), born in Somero but moved to Forssa with his family at the age of five, built his career as a painter. He studied art in Stockholm and made several study trips to the major art capitals of Central Europe. In Finland, he worked both in Turku and Helsinki while continuing to visit European art centers.

During his years in Paris (1894–1897) he encountered a groundbreaking new invention that was generating great excitement: the motion picture, which the Lumière brothers had presented at the Grand Café in Paris on 28 December 1895. Lindfors is not known to have been present at that event, but the enthusiasm surrounding the invention spread so quickly that no one in Paris could have avoided hearing about it.

Lindfors returned from Paris to his homeland and settled in Forssa around the turn of the century. He started a family and became part of the region’s Swedish‑speaking social circles. Before long, the idea of establishing a cinema began to take shape in his mind — a business that could support his family while allowing him to focus on painting.

He purchased a plot of land on the banks of the Loimijoki River, and both a cinema building and a residence for the artist’s family were constructed there. During the summer months, the theatre served as his art studio, but in the winter season it was dedicated to film screenings.

Looking back, building a theatre in Forssa may seem unusual, but in the early 1900s the situation was very different. With its railway connection, Forssa was experiencing strong growth, and by 1909 the town had a population of about 7,500 — large enough to make a cinema a fitting addition.

Forssa Mill, which at that time was the main employer in what was still considered part of the rural municipality of Tammela, had both size and influence, providing livelihoods for many locals. In 1904, the headmaster and a teacher of the local lyceum began publishing the newspaper Forssan Sanomat. The founding congress of the Finnish Labour Party — which later became the Social Democratic Party — was held in Forssa in 1903. The renowned Russian writer Maxim Gorky visited acquaintances in the Forssa area in 1906.

Life in the town and its surroundings was therefore lively, and the Elävienkuvien Teatteri (“Living Pictures Theatre”) only added to that energy. Forssa became a market town in 1923 and was granted city rights in 1964.

In 1906, Forssa’s Elävienkuvien Teatteri opened its doors, and with its first screening — Ylioppilaan kosto (“The Student’s Revenge”) — Forssa stepped into an entirely new era. From the theatre’s seats, the world suddenly felt smaller, as ordinary citizens gained access to films from far‑flung corners of the globe. Even foreign‑language films posed no problem, thanks to so‑called “pre‑readers”, who translated the intertitles aloud for the audience in real time.

The theatre was, in many ways, a success, though not without its challenges. The new equipment had its technical shortcomings, and certain groups viewed the cinema as a den of moral corruption. Still, one story has endured as a local legend: when the theatre’s roof caught fire, the owner himself seemed unfazed. Instead of joining the others in extinguishing the blaze, he calmly took out his easel and began painting the scene. The fire was eventually put out, and before long the theatre resumed its operations.

Dozens—likely even hundreds—of films were shown at the Elävienkuvien Teatteri. When Lindfors fell seriously ill, responsibility for running the theatre passed to his wife, Emilia. Despite the theatre’s success, she eventually lacked the strength to continue, especially with a sick husband to care for at home. In 1921, the theatre and its furnishings were sold, and the new owner renamed it Forssan Kino. Albert Lindfors died on 15 August 1922 at the age of 62.

The theatre remained relatively popular until the arrival of sound films, at which point the owner at the time, Aleksi Anttila, decided to withdraw from the business. The cost of acquiring new projectors and sound equipment was too high, and with the opening of a competing cinema, Ilves, in the city, the owner chose to give up the premises for other uses.

The hall later served, among other things, as the first gymnastics space for Forssan Salama, its height making it suitable even for apparatus gymnastics. After the war, the theatre building was acquired by Gino Dotti, who operated a toy and musical instrument shop there. The building underwent renovations, and a second floor was added, which housed the Helle photography studio. Over the years, the building has been home to a toy shop, a fabric store, and a car dealership, among others.

The property remained in the Dotti family’s ownership until 1998, when—after the death of Gino’s daughter—the city inherited the building.

The theatre is restored

By the late 1990s, the building had fallen into a very poor state, having been neglected for many years. Without the "Forssa Eläväksi ja kauniiksi" -Association — which focused on restoring local history — the building would likely have been demolished. Ilppo Aaltonen, the leading figure of the association, wanted to bring the old theatre back into the public consciousness.

Restoring such an aging structure was no simple task. The property was in such disrepair that, as some put it, it could have been “taken apart with an excavator.” The association’s plans received little support from locals, and according to volunteers, the feedback from the informal “local parliament” gathered at Saunasilta was far from encouraging.

However, once the theatre was completed and began receiving positive attention, many locals changed their tune. Today, the Elävienkuvien Teatteri is a fully modern venue down to the last detail. The projection equipment was digitized in 2012, though film projectors can still be used when needed. The old, long wooden benches were replaced with cushioned cinema seats in 2013, greatly improving the viewing experience. The restrooms have also been renovated over the years.

Reminders of earlier times still remain: the fenced‑off balcony area and the photographs and posters on the back wall of the auditorium — including a photographic reproduction of the theatre’s founder Lindfors’s famous painting Forssa palaa (“Forssa Burns”).