The Goodiepal Equation (2017)

The Goodiepal Equation is a documentary film by Sami Sänpäkkilä about Danish musician, hacker, renaissance man, futurist, hustler, philanthropist, Rudolph Steiner dropout, programmer and millionaire Goodiepal. Meet the man for the new millennium!

Director: Sami Sänpäkkilä
Editor: Eeva Tuomi
Producer: Harri Sippola / Moderni Kanuuna
Sound design: Samuli Ala-Lahti
Length: 71 min

Future screenings:

Past screenings:

12.1.2019 Norient Musikfilm Festival, St. Gallen, Switzerland
11.1.2019 Norient Musikfilm Festival, Lausanne, Switzerland
10.1.2019 Norient Musikfilm Festival, Bern, Switzerland
15.12.2018 Digital Art Demo Space, Chicago, USA
11.12.2018 Doc Lounge, Turku, Finland
29.11.2018 Het Bos, Antwerp, Belgium
22.11.2018 Eastern Daze V, Ghent Belgium
10.11.2018 Leeds International Film Festival, UK
22.10.2018 Arktisen Upeeta XIX, Jyväskylä, Finland
10.10.2018 New York University, NY, USA
15.9.2018 Künstlerhaus, Hamburg, Germany
1.9.2018 Harfest, Kääntöpöytä, Helsinki, Finland
24.8.2018 Oulun Musiikkivideofestivaalit, Oulu, Finland
24.8.2018 Mayhem, Copenhagen, Denmark
28.8.2018 Ilmiö Festival, Turku, Finland
28.6.2018 Colchester Arts Centre, UK
26.6.2018 The Cube Microplex, Bristol, England
18.6.2018 Kino Světozor, Prague, Czech Republic
15.6.2018 SMK – Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen, Denmark
23.5.2018 Mengi, Reykjavík, Iceland
5.5.2018 Galerie Emanuel Layr, Vienna, Austria
4.4.2018 Marsèlleria Permanent Exhibition, Milan, Italy
3.4.2018 Tallinn Music Week, Kino Sõprus, Tallinn, Estonia
23.3.2018 CPH:DOX, Gloria Biograf, København, Denmark
22.3.2018 CPH:DOX, Cinemateket, Copenhagen, Denmark
18.3.2018 CPH:DOX, Alice, København, Denmark
17.3.2018 Tusindefryd, Aalborg, Denmark
17.3.2018 Makvärket, Holbaek, Denmark
11.3.2018 Eiszeit Kino, Berlin, Germany
28.1.2018 Shangri Live, Sofia, Bulgaria
27.1.2018 The Social Teahouse, Varna, Bulgaria
25.1.2018 Melon, Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria
24.1.2018 Post-Culture Stage, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
18.12.2017 Cafe OTO, London UK
13.12.2017 WORM, Rotterdam, Netherlands
3.12.2017 Kvaka 22, Belgrade, Serbia
1.12.2017 Arthouse Cinema Niagara, Tampere, Finland
28.11.2017 Spectacle Theater, Brooklyn, New York USA
23.11.2017 Pori Film Festival, Finland
16.11.2017 Rokumentti Festival, Joensuu Finland
12.11.2017 Spectacle Theater, Brooklyn, New York USA
1.11.2017 Spectacle Theater, Brooklyn, New York USA
28.10.2017 Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival, Czech Republic INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE
8.10.2017 UH Fest, Budapest, Hungary
22.9.2017 Helsinki International Film Festival Love & Anarchy, Finland WORLD PREMIERE

Goodiepal (real name Kristian Parl Bjørn Vester, b. 1974–76) is a Danish musician, performance artist, lecturer and activist operating on the fringes of society. Goodiepal rides thousands of kilometres on a self-built bicycle that he uses to power his shows. He has released a record with a genuine 500-krone banknote embedded in the vinyl – priced at 250 kroner. Goodiepal has put together an exhibition for the National Museum of Denmark comprising all his material possessions, and he creates his art outside of customary institutions and norms.

Goodiepal’s best friend, the former 1960s rock star Poul Erik, is another true eccentric, a hoarder living among things he has collected from skips. His dream is to own a piece of each item ever produced by human beings. Goodiepal considers Poul Erik his partner in crime, although his audience would prefer to see him without him.

Goodiepal’s life is shadowed by Huntington’s disease, an inherited degenerative disease of the brain that has driven men in his family to suicide. Doctors find odd tumours in his head and he begins to misplace and forget things. Many of his closest friends are likewise affected by illness.Goodiepal’s activism turns increasingly radical and he drifts further and further away from social safety nets.

Goodiepal challenges us to reflect on our view of the world. What remains of us if we only exist to serve the system? What is THE GOODIEPAL EQUATION?



A word from the director

The Goodiepal Equation documentary film reveals a small part of Goodiepal’s personality and mystery. It shows its protagonist as both an uncompromising artist and a loyal friend. Goodiepal explores the boundaries of society’s rules. He shatters the definitions of art in his works and actions. Goodiepal is by nature impenetrable, yet consistent. That is why people often either love him or hate him.

Goodiepal himself forms an essential part of his theories. Indeed, the Goodiepal Equation is as follows: “The further a message travels over space and time, the more value it adds to its content.” One might think that this documentary has been made on the off-chance of Goodiepal later becoming an extremely famous artist and theorist. This, however, is a ready example of the paradox that is Goodiepal – it will never happen. If nothing else, it will be hindered by Goodiepal’s personality. For all his overbearingness, he is not merely a master manipulator; his actions reveal true altruism and empathy. He pays for rooms for the needy to work and live in, he helps refugees and donates large sums of money to charity.

Even though he is the self-proclaimed man for the new millennium, for most of us he is also beyond comprehension and imagination. You will feel like Alice in Wonderland having a conversation with the Cheshire Cat. That is why following Goodiepal must be done with a mind as open as Alice’s as she stepped through the looking glass.

The documentary portrays a man who is more than an artist or a theorist. It shows us someone who is battling – in his very personal way – his problems and illnesses. Goodiepal’s attitude in the face of adversity is the main reason why I chose to make this documentary. His loyalty towards his friends is demanding but also very rewarding. In the words of his best friend Poul Erik: “He is ready to die for his friends.”