Finnish film production

Christmas Story, FC Venus and Beauty and the Bastard conquer Finnish hearts but they are rarely known overseas. Melancholic films describe Finnish people character well and are very important to them, especially some old war films like The Unknown Soldier. Unfortunately foreigners don’t understand our domestic films and their simplicity; moreover there is also a language barrier. Therefore they don’t get so much admiration abroad.

Compared to European or American films the Finnish ones are very realistic stories, which are usually about normal or poor people and their everyday life. They don’t have either as much action as the Hollywood films. I don’t really like basic Finnish films and usually I find them too boring or grim, yet there are exceptions, for instance a parody called Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning. Even though the sense of humor is very different in Finnish films compared to foreign ones, I find it funny.

Finland definitely has potential in film making. There are Finnish directors who have succeeded also abroad, for instance Renny Harlin and some good actors too. Yet I think that Finnish landscape is our advantage in film production because we have beautiful views, forests, lakes and also snow in winter.

I don’t think that Finnish films will ever reach the same level as American or European ones. Nevertheless, I have faith in Finnish cinema; after all it reflects Finnish culture and Finnish people.