Production support to 21 projects in the first decision meeting of 2019

Four of the films will be their directors’ debut feature. Khadar Ahmed will shoot his drama The Gravedigger (pictured above) in Djibouti. Hanna Bergholm’s Birds of a Feather is a horror story about a girl who hatches an evil twin out of a bird’s egg. Ulla Heikkilä’s debut feature Confirmation is a youth drama set in a religious summer camp. Maria Sid will helm the eighth feature in the Ricky Rapper (Risto Räppääjä) children’s film series.

Comedies also did well in this call. Potato, directed by Joona Tena and written by Pekko Pesonen, is a story about a start-up guy who aims to introduce the titular vegetable to the 17th century Finland. Solar Films will do a remake of the Norwegian comedy hit Norske byggeklosser, with Taneli Mustonen as writer-director. Teemu Nikki, known for his short comedies and the Finnish Oscar-candidate Euthanizer, will write and direct Nimby, a Finnish-German co-production, tackling the issue of intolerance of tolerant people.

All supported projects

Feature films

Birds of a Feather (Pahanhautoja)
Producer: Mika Ritalahti / Silva Mysterium
Director: Hanna Bergholm
Writer: Ilja Rautsi
Support sum: 675,000 €

Confirmation (Eden)
Producer: Miia Haavisto / Tekele Productions
Director & writer: Ulla Heikkilä
Support sum: 730,000 €

The Gravedigger (Haudankaivaja)
Producers: Mark Lwoff, Misha Jaari / Bufo
Director & writer: Khadar Ahmed
Support sum: 400,000 €

Hayflower, Quiltshoe and the Feisty First-grader (Heinähattu, Vilttitossu ja ärhäkkä koululainen)
Producer: Jarkko Hentula, Anni Pänkäälä / Yellow Film & TV
Director: Lenka Hellstedt
Writers: Sinikka Nopola, Tiina Nopola
Support sum: 640,000 €

Helene
Producer: Mikko Tenhunen / Finland Cinematic
Director: Antti J. Jokinen
Writers: Antti J. Jokinen, Marko Leino
Support sum: 800,000 €

Nimby
Producers: Jani Pösö, Teemu Nikki / It’s Alive Films
Director: Teemu Nikki
Writers: Teemu Nikki, Jani Pösö
Support sum: 565,000 €

Potato (Peruna)
Producers: Olli Haikka, Marko Talli / Yellow Film & TV
Director: Joona Tena
Writer: Pekko Pesonen
Support sum: 750,000 €

Risto Räppääjä ja väärä Vincent
Producers: Rimbo Salomaa, Jukka Helle, Markus Selin / Solar Films
Director: Maria Sid
Writers: Sinikka Nopola, Tiina Nopola
Support sum: 690,000 €

Se mieletön remppa
Producers: Jukka Helle, Markus Selin / Solar Films
Director & writer: Taneli Mustonen
Support sum: 720,000 €

Tale of a Sleeping Giant (Tunturin tarina)
Producers: Hanna Kauppi, Marko Röhr / MRP Matila Röhr Productions
Director: Marko Röhr
Writer: Antti Tuuri, Marko Röhr
Support sum: 450,000 €

0-2
minority co-production
Producers: Esko Ribs / Nafta Films; Kristian Taska / Taska Film; Jukka Helle, Nina Laurio / Solar Films
Director: Margus Paju
Writers: Tiit Aleksejev, Eriikka Etholén-Paju, Tom Abrams
Support sum: 150,000 €

Documentaries

Dance of Elderly (Aikansa eläneet)
short documentary
Producer: Miika J. Norvanto / Black Lion Pictures
Director & writer: Markku Heikkinen
Support sum: 12,500 €

Island of Souls (Själö)
Producer: Ilona Tolmunen / Made
Director: Lotta Petronella
Writers: Lotta Petronella, Seppo Parkkinen
Support sum: 80,000 €

Libres! This Train I Ride
international minority co-production
Producers: Clara Vuillermoz / Les Films du Balibari; Liisa Karpo, Marianne Mäkelä / napafilms
Director & writer: Arno Bitschy
Support sum: 30,000 €

A Moroccan (Marokkolainen)
Producers: Marianne Mäkelä, Hannu-Pekka Vitikainen / Zone2 Pictures
Directors & writers: Hannu-Pekka Vitikainen, Khalid Laboudi
Support sum: 110,000 €

The Other Side of the River
international minority co-production
Producers: Frank Müller / Doppelplusultra Film und TV Produktion; Antonia Kilian / Pink Shadow Films; Jakob Krese / Zavod Stefanova Stala; Merja Ritola / Greenlit Productions
Director: Antonia Kilian
Writers: Antonia Kilian, Jakob Weidner
Support sum: 25,000 €

The Red Ring (Punainen ympyrä)
Producers: Satu Majava, Joonas Berghäll / Oktober
Director & writer: Joonas Berghäll
Support sum: 184,000 €

Silicon Valley, Baby
Producers: Wille Lehtovaara, Heli Sirviö / Taavi Vartia Film & TV
Director: Erika Haavisto
Writers: Heli Sirviö, Erika Haavisto
Support sum: 80,000 €

Viileä voima
short documentary
Producer: Mika Ritalahti / Silva Mysterium
Director & writer: Sakari Suuronen
Support sum: 30,000 €

Animations

The Last Matador (Viimeinen matadori)
animated short film
Producers: Katariina Lillqvist, Tomas Rychetsky, Nils Claesson / Camera Cagliostro
Director & writer: Katariina Lillqvist
Support sum: 20,000 €

Archipellina and the Black Box (Arkipellina och den svarta lådan)
animated series
Producer: Mats Långbacka / Långfilm Productions Finland
Director: Antonia Ringbom
Writers: Antonia Ringbom, Tuomo Leino
Support sum: 20,000 €