Year 1595. The long war is finally over. Brothers Knut and Erik, members of a commission marking the border between Finland and Russia, commit a terrible sin when they leave a young girl to die a horrible death. As they cross an uncharted swamp, the girl returns to haunt them, her face pouring endless filth. Seeking forgiveness, Knut and Erik step in...

Jury motivation: Sauna explores and hacks its way through Finnish film culture. Rather than deploy the usual scare tactics and special effects, this ambitious horror inhabits an entirely new world infused with a sinister atmosphere. Sauna is built on virgin soil that sometimes feels as solid as a swamp. In the end, however, Sauna proves that it is possible to approach themes such as sin, repentance and atonement – themes deeply rooted in the mythical Finnish gloominess – via a genre that has until now been almost non-existent in Finnish cinema.

National jury: Johanna Grönqvist, Kati Sinisalo