The Finnish delegation at CPH:INDUSTRY features a group of five producers, each with “a unique vision and a slate of projects ready to captivate global audiences,” notes Focus on Finland, the export venture charged with promoting Finnish audiovisual content internationally.
“Finnish filmmakers are renowned for their bold storytelling, stunning visuals, and commitment to quality. Projects are looking for co-producers, financing, sales agents, festivals and distribution,” it adds. The delegation will be hosted by The Finnish Film Foundation.
At an invitation-only lunch March 25, the international industry will have the opportunity meet Finnish producers on the following projects:
- Outi Rousu, Pystymetsä, presenting Bridging the Generations by Outu Rousu, Anna Korhonen; In the Limits of Tolerance by Kirsikka Paakkanen; Seasons of Solitude (with Anorâk Film) by Inuk Silis Høegh
- Sandra Enkvist, Polygraf, presenting Fruitcakes: The Dawn of Drag by Vesa Kuosmanenhttps://apfi.fi/en/focus-on-finland/events/cphdox2025/; Noctalgia by Anna Antsalo https://apfi.fi/en/focus-on-finland/events/cphdox2025/
- Venla Hellstedt, Dionysos Films, presenting Good Night Monster by Emilia Hernesniemi; Landmark by Anna-Karin Grönroos
- Hannu-Pekka Vitikainen, Zone2 Pictures, presenting Sense and Sensibility by Hanna Nordenswan ; The School of Work by Sera Martikainen
- Tuuli Penttinen-Lampisuo, Poike Production, presenting Farewell to Snow by Sanni Priha; Close Watch by Pilvi Takala
NEW PRODUCTION FUNDING
In its first support meeting of the year, the borad of the Finnish Film Foundation gave 656,700 euros of production support to eight documentary films. These are:
- Featherless (Lintumies) Director & scriptwriter: Kaapo Kamu. Producers: Kaapo Kamu, Siiri Siltala. Production company: Kaapo Kamu. Support sum: 50,000 euros. Featherless is a documentary film about letting go and the identity crisis associated with retirement. It reflects on our society’s difficulty in recognizing the value of individuals even when they are no longer at their most productive.
- Näkymätön vihollinen Directors & scriptwriters: Ann-Mari Leinonen, Einari Paakkanen.. Producers: Kimmo Paananen, Pasi Riiali. Production company: Filmbutik Oulu. Support sum: 155,000 euros
- ORSOQ – Seasons of Solitude (Minority co-production GL-FI) Director & scriptwriter: Inuk Silis Høegh. Finnish co-production company: Pystymetsä. Producers: Emile Hertling Péronard, Outi Rousu. Production company: Ánorâk Film (Greenland). Support sum: 45,000 euros. The very first Greenlandic-Finnish documentary film ORSOQ – Seasons of Solitude is an exploration of man’s longing for solitude. In an ambitious cinematic form, the film zooms in on people who have voluntarily chosen a life of loneliness. But who – no matter what they do – remain caught between the calmness of isolation and the need for community. The film is a philosophical inquiry, a visual poem about the spaces between belonging and solitude.
- Second Acts (Portti) Director & scriptwriter: Anu Kuivalainen. Producer: Markku Tuurna
Production company: Filmimaa. Support sum: 173,000 euros. Second Acts is a documentary film about metamorphosis, about how people use art to break out of their shells and grow new wings. A person has a new opportunity to make moral choices and have the freedom to influence the course of their life through their own decisions, even though we were each dealt with different cards in childhood. - Secret Reading Club. Directors: Shakiba Adil, Elina Hirvonen. Scriptwriters: Elina Hirvonen,. Shakiba Adil. Producer: Marko Talli. Production company: Yellow Film & TV. Support sum: 123,000 euros. Three Afghan women secretly film their lives in a documentary film that bridges the experiences between Anne Frank in the 1940s Amsterdam, filmmaker Shakiba Adil’s childhood in the 1990s Kabul and the Afghan women of today – and cherishes the triumph of humanity against oppression.
- Simo Was Here (Simo kävi täällä) Director, scriptwriter & producer: PV Lehtinen. Production company: Cineparadiso. Support sum: 3,700 euros
- Songs Will Never Rust (Arja Saijonmaa – Minä ja Mikis) Director, scriptwriter & producer: Marko Talli. Production company: Yellow Film & TV. Support sum: 75,000 euros
- The Soul of Trees (Metsän sydän) Director: Markku Laine. Scriptwriters: Markku Laine, Petri Keto-Tokoi. Producer: Kirsi Mattila. Production company: Third Eye Films. Support sum: 32,000 euros. The Soul of Trees is a mesmerizing odyssey into the secret world of trees, unveiling their interconnected lives and the breathtaking biodiversity flourishing within the woods. The documentary revolves around the main character of the story, an ancient oak, the Tree of Life. The oak serves as an ancient source of wisdom, narrating the cycle of life, the power of forests, and their biodiversity, emphasizing the interconnectedness and value of all life in nature.
JUSSI AWARDS 2025
At the 2025 Jussi award ceremony, The Nordisk Film Award, worth 20,000 euros, and annually presented to a film that lifts and enriches Finnish cinema, was handed to Virpi Suutari for her documentary Once Upon a Time in a Forest. The director went on to win the award for Best Documentary while DoP Teemu Liakka won the overall Cinematography of the Year Jussi Award as well.
Sold by Autlook, Once Upon a Time in a Forest unfolds as a modern fairy tale in the enchanting embrace of the Finnish forest. We witness young people seamlessly woven into the fabric of nature, swimming in crystalline lakes and reveling in the calm presence of the ancient trees. This idyllic harmony is imperilled as the forest faces man-made extinction. Driven by her love for the forest, 22-year-old Ida becomes the leader of the new Forest Movement, coming face to face with Finnish forest industry giants and confronting generational bias. Breathtaking visuals take viewers into the heart of the forest and the center of the conflict. The film is a hopeful ode to nature and its protectors.
The Jussi Awards are Finland’s premier film industry prizes.
