The experimental film The Suburb Within by Pekka Sassi won the EMAF Award for the trend-setting work in media art at the 23rd European Media Art Festival (EMAF), taking place from 21 until 25 April in Osnabrück.

The jury explained their decision to award The Suburb Within in their statement: "Refreshingly minimalistic,  but with an extraordinary sense of humor, this film steps away from the usual flood of images. Doing this it does not leave out classic narration or a well-structured setup. Continually undermining the viewers expectations it nevertheless sucks its audience."

EMAF is one of the most influential forums of international Media Art. The festival is a meeting point for artists, curators, distributors, gallery owners and an audience of specialists offering a current overview of new experimental films, performances, lectures, an exhibition and the Media Campus. The motto of the 2010 festival is MASH UP, reinterpretation and re-coding of media content that takes place in popular culture and art. Mashing up is on one hand a satirical and subversive styilistic device, and on the other it infringes on the rights of third parties.

Pekka Sassi is a Finnish artist whose works include installations, music, sound pieces and experimental short films which have been shown at solo and group exhibitions, as well as at film festivals worldwide such as Rotterdam, Cannes, EMAF, Tampere and Hamburg.