The fifth edition of Drifts Festival Unknown Territories: Forests confronted the devastating impacts of extractivism, capitalism, and urban expansion on forests, which are interwoven with cultural myths, Indigenous knowledge, ancestral memory, and biodiversity. In a time of ecological crisis, it envisioned these living landscapes as spaces of resilience and radical imagination, opening pathways toward planetary futures where human and more-than-human coexist.

The program featured 29 local and international practitioners presenting audiovisual performances, film screenings, lecture performances, and exhibitions.

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.

Participants
Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Anton Vidokle, Forensis & 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.

Partners
From 2025 to 2027, Drifts Festival is in collaboration partnership with the Saastamoinen Foundation. In 2025, the festival was 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, NERDS, and Mad House Helsinki, with support from the City of Helsinki, Nordic Culture Fund, and 1664.

Team
Artistic Director | Soko Hwang
Production Coordinator  |  Phan Nguyen
Communication Manager  | Aala Nyman
Exhibition and Stage Producer  | Dmytro Bondariev
Associative Curator
 |  Enna Bae, Nimco Kulmiye Hussein
Lighting Manager  |  Kristian Palmu
Lighting Technician  | Mikko Kaukonen
Sound Manager  |  Antti Kainulainen
Web Programmer  |  Tõnu Kaggovere
Graphic Design  |  Soko Hwang
Production Intern  |  Ville Karlsson, Mikael Palmu

Production Volunteer  |  Eetu Holopainen, Kai Nordfors , Amy Merigo, Eleni Vlachos, Mana Tashakorinia, Alexandra Bustos Voinow, Tuuli Rajalin, Tran Bao Ngoc, Katariina Haakila, Otto Lappi, Wilson Tanner Smith, Yesol Lim, Merle Karp, Hannu Häkkinen, Aliisa Hakkarainen, Juliana Ivanytska