Nick Cunningham

Prolific Finnish producer Kaarle Aho (Making Movies) discusses his urgent new doc project Truth.com with Business Doc Europe. “The film is about the use of fake news in the hybrid war that is taking place in Eastern Europe and the Balkans. It is a highly topical, very important subject right now when there are forces trying to unbalance Europe on the move,” he says.

Standing in My Power presents contemporary childbirth culture in Finland as seen from the perspective of two birth professionals who are fighting for a better birth experience and the rights of the birthing people. “I believe we need a film like [this] today because birth-givers’ right to self-determination is still not a given in our culture, and because many birth-givers still lack the awareness, motivation or courage necessary to demand their rights,” producer Kirsi Mattila tells BDE.

Producer Oskar Forstén (Polygraf) discusses his archive feature doc Showtime in Helsinki, about a three-day Cold War extravaganza in 1975 whose unintended consequences only became obvious three decades later. “[It] is a film that deconstructs the anatomy of an almost forgotten diplomatic process. In its essence it is Cold War history like never told before, about a conference that was considered meaningless, but that ultimately changed the world,” he tells BDE.

Top Finnish doccer Virpi Suutari pitched her new film to the professional audience of FFA. Fully funded and set to premiere in Spring 2024, the feature doc concerns radical young folk who are defending one of the last coniferous forest areas in Europe. “It is both a generational film that reflects the environmental feelings of the youth, and a love story of a younger generation whose object of love is the Finnish forest,” said the director.

Aida, a child on the autism spectrum, is determined to challenge existing norms and foster acceptance. But can the hard efforts of Aida and her mother Johanna change the world before their strength runs out? “Aida’s growth in the film is spectacular. We are confident that this film will engage, entertain and inform a wide range of audiences,” producer Juha Löppönen tells BDE of his new project.

Finnish producer Isabella Karhu fills in Business Doc Europe on her new feature project, about the fate of folk a 150-year-old gold mining community in the faraway Lapland wilderness, which is presented at the Helsinki showcase of Finnish docs. “Gold mining in Lapland is almost a folk-tale in Finland and this crew had the last chance to capture this way of life in its original form. No other feature doc film has been made about this community,” Karhu underlines.

Mari Mantela describes her new documentary as “a hybrid between bio, fiction and documentary” and “an ode to performing arts and the necessity of rituals.” Elegiac and a feast for the eyes, it is also a film that blossoms from the existential emptiness that an actor feels during Covid to his realisation of a long-held dream, to create an old-time travelling theatre, complete with big top.

Sibiry Konate, from a small village in Burkina Faso, moved to Finland 10 years ago to pursue his dream to be a professional choreographer. For his friends and family back home he has now become a ‘rich European’ who could solve their many problems. But nobody wants to hear the truth, that Sibiry’s life consists of numerous mundane struggles and that money is never sufficient… Producer Ella Ruohonen discusses her new project with BDE.

The Finnish producer/director team of Jouko Aaltonen and Mervi Junkkonen pitched the intriguingly titled The Art of Reindeer Racing at FFA, about a shy young girl who finds a mentor in the form of a champion racer. “It's a story about coming-of-age and is also about the importance of a mentor in a young person's life,” commented director Junkkonen. “It demands an extra courage to come out of your shell and find your own voice ,and this is what my film is about.”

The Czech docfest revealed September 22 details of its Industry programme running October 25 to 28, that includes pitches of new Czech and international projects, presentations by the EMERGING PRODUCERS 2024 cohort and a range of panel discussions. Organisers also list the nine US projects selected for third Ji.hlava New Visions Forum.