Close to 3.3 million euros of production support to eight projects in December
Four feature films, three documentary films and one short film received production support from the Finnish Film Foundation in December.
The feature films include two films based on original screenplays (In Custody and Sommaren är kort, a sequel to the 2012 children’s film Ella & Friends and an adaptation of a novel by Juha Itkonen, The More Loving One. One of the documentaries is a co-production between Poland and Finland.
Feature films
Ella & Friends – Nature Calls (Ella ja kaverit menevät metsään)
Director: Elin Grönblom
Scriptwriter: Katri Manninen
Producers: Aleksi Hyvärinen, Mika Pajunen
Production company: Don Films
Support sum: 770,000 €
Budget: 1,890,000 €
In Custody (Uhma)
Director: Visa Koiso-Kanttila
Scriptwriter: Reeta Ruotsalainen
Producers: Tiina Pesonen, Minna Haapkylä, Olli Suominen
Production company: Rabbit Films
Support sum: 850,000 €
Budget: 1,587,000 €
The More Loving One (Anna minun rakastaa enemmän)
Director and scriptwriter: Oskari Sipola
Producer: Anniina Leppänen
Production company: Aurora Pictures
Support sum: 800,000 €
Budget: 1,610,000 €
Sommaren är kort
Director and scriptwriter: Ulla Heikkilä
Producer: Marja Pihlaja
Production company: Tekele Productions
Support sum: 732,000 €
Budget: 1,373,000 €
Documentaries
Etna
Director and scriptwriter: Sinna Virtanen
Producers: Misha Jaari, Mark Lwoff
Production company: Bufo
Support sum: 40,000 €
Budget: 200,000 €
Etna is a documentary film about transgenerational distress and traumas.
It Is Not (a) Mine (Kuoleman kaivos)
international minority co-production PL-FI
Director and scriptwriter: Natalia Korianz
Producers: Maciej Kubicki, Iikka Vehkalahti
Finnish co-production company: IV Films
Production company: Telemark Production
Support sum: 15,000 €
Budget: 515,000 €
The 4,800-metre-high mountain of Cerro Rico is situated next to Potosi which used to be one of the richest cities in Bolivia. Cerro has been continuously exploited by people since the 15th century. The locals say that the mountain eats men. It is estimated that around eight million people died there mining for silver. The average life span is thirty-six years.
World’s Smallest Parliament (Världens minsta parlament)
Directors, scriptwriters and producers: Johan Karrento, Stefan Gustafsson:
Finnish co-production company:
Production company: Tartufi Creative
Support sum: 40,000 €
Budget: 247,000 €
In a turbulent world, one of the world’s smallest parliaments is trying to develop its autonomy, but relations with the mother country, Finland, hang by a fragile thread. Facing the upcoming election, the current leader, Veronica, confronts opposition within her own party and must navigate through challenging political waters to secure the future of the island nation.
Short films
The Bolt (Pultti)
Director: Pia Andell
Scriptwriter: Suna Vuori
Producer: Pia Andell
Production company: Of Course My Films
Support sum: 20,000 €
Budget: 100,000 €
The Bolt is a tragic and slightly satirical short film about a dinner between friends. It is a description of seven people facing their own situation. The Bolt tells about the permanence of change, i.e. about how something that holds people together can detach and disappear at any time.