Claes Olsson (Kinoproduktion), produces the €1.6m We are the Pirates of the Roads (Me rosvolat), the feature debut of the established television actress and screenwriter Marjut Komulainen. It’s the story of a smart-ass 10 year-old little girl, accidentally kidnapped by road pirates who prefers to stay with them than go back home where her busy father pays no attention to her. The film for 7-12 year-olds is co-produced by Germany’s Ulysses Filmproduktion and Sweden’s Bright Moving Pictures. Shooting is starting next month and the Finnish release via Nordisk Film is set for February 2015.
Lapland Odyssey 2 (Napapiirin sankarit 2) features the new trials and tribulations of Janne (Jussi Vatanen), now father of a two year-old daughter who gets into trouble when his car gets stolen by a drug addict, with his daughter inside. Penned again by Jarkko Hentula, the comedy which starts filming in August has Teppo Airaksinen at the helm this time. The €1.6m film is produced by Yellow Film & TV. The domestic release handled by Nordisk Film is scheduled for the autumn 2015.
Lauri Nurkse who recently directed the TV drama Second Chance for YLE, is going back to feature filmmaking with Off Key (Nuotin vierestä), the story of a 35-year-old engineer who uses his MBA educated mind to help his mother win a karaoke competition. The €1m project produced by FremantleMedia Finland also starts filming in August, with Nordisk Film attached as distributor.
The romantic drama Blue Hotel 965 (previously known as Bucharest-Inter 965) will be directed by the up and coming Mikko Kuparinen (pictured) (Sirocco) for Mjölk Movies. The project budgeted at just under €1m features a chance encounter between a man and a woman from different nationalities in a foreign country. Lithuania’s Artbox is co-producing and Atlantic Film will handle the domestic release.
The Finnish Film Foundation also supported two minority Finnish co-productions: the Swedish film Pojkarna (The Boys) by Alexandra-Therese Keining (Kiss Me) produced by Göta Film with Periferia Productions, and Estonia’s Secret Society of Souptown by first-timer Margus Paju, produced by Nafta Film Oü with Solar Films.