Finland selects Family Time as their Oscar submission
Family Time, written and directed by Tia Kouvo premiered in Berlinale in 2023.
Image: Sami Kuokkanen / Aamu Film Company
The Finnish jury selected Family Time as the Finnish submission for the Academy Award for international feature film. It is a humorous and sharp study on family relations: on how we try to find connection, but don’t always succeed. The film takes place during Christmas and centers on a family of three generations gathering at the grandparents’ house.
Family Time premiered in Berlinale’s Encounters section in 2023, and the domestic premiere was on November 10, 2024. The film went on to win Finnish Jussi Awards for Best Film, Directing and Script, as well as awards at international film festivals.
The Finnish jury writes: “Family Time, an exceptionally original and masterfully told film, shows how form and emotion can become a combination of cinematic virtuosity. Precise observations about Finnish ordinariness expand into a universal experience, as the film’s international success has proven.”
Family Time is produced by Jussi Rantamäki and Emilia Haukka for Aamu Film Company. International sales are handled by The Match Factory. Lead roles are played by Ria Kataja, Elina Knihtilä, Leena Uotila, Tom Wentzel and Jarkko Pajunen, and filmmakers include cinematographer Jesse Jalonen, editor Okku Nuutilainen, set designer Nanna Hirvonen, sound designer Jorma Kaulanen and costume designer Mirva Mietala.
The Finnish Chamber of Films assembled the jury which included writer-director Sakari Kirjavainen, make-up designer Kati Koskela, scriptwriter Karoliina Lindgren, director Sameli Muurimäki, costume designer Riitta Röpelinen, advisor for international promotion Otto Suuronen ja actor Timo Teern. The chair of jury was writer, film critic Kalle Kinnunen.
The rules for the award are set by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Each country is invited to nominate one film for the International Feature category. This year, films that have premiered theatrically between October 1, 2023 and September 30, 2024 are eligible.
The final Oscar nominees are announced on January 17, 2025, and the award ceremony is on March 2, 2025.