\”The last couple of years have been an exceptionally good time,\” comments the head of the Finnish Film Foundation’s international department on the international visibility of domestic cinema.
In April, the foundation published an overview of last year’s most watched Finnish films in foreign distribution. Films in which Finland was at least a partial producer attracted 1.8 million viewers. Of these films mainly produced in Finland, the audience share is 1.1 million.
\”The last couple of years have been an exceptionally good time\”
Puskala agrees with Härö. According to him, various genre films have been particularly successful, as Sisu can also be read as.
– Films have also gained exposure at major film festivals like Sundance and Cannes, for example *Hytti No. 6* and *Girls girls girls*.
Aki Kaurismäki’s new film *Kuolleet lehdet* is also included in the May Cannes Film Festival competition series. It is the only film in the series with a Nordic main producer.
– I have been in the industry for more than 30 years. The last couple of years have been an exceptionally good time (for Finnish cinema).
In the US, the distributor’s faith in the film is decisive
The United States is an extremely competitive and difficult market for theatrical distribution. According to Puskala, the only thing that matters is that the distributor believes in the film and is ready to invest in marketing.
– Being selected for important big festivals in North America also helps. Getting into a festival like Sundance isn’t something you get every year.
Since 2022, SES has invested in the distribution support granted to foreign distributors, which has opened access to international theatrical distribution for many Finnish films. Two productions are currently applying for US distribution support, Puskala reveals.
– You can say that we are also investing in the United States from our side and within our resources, but a large cinema distribution like Sisu is in a class of its own, says Puskala.
Preliminary estimates promise good things
– It matters more and more what is said about movies on social media. Traditional criticisms are also important, Puskala commented on the possible effect of preliminary estimates on Sisu’s viewership.
In Finland, Sisu broke the 100,000 viewer mark about a month after the premiere. If there is good feedback from abroad, according to Puskala, this can increase the number of viewers in Finland even more.
– It has been noticed that it increases interest. For example, Aki Kaurismäki’s *A man without a past* saw a significant spike in viewership numbers thanks to its international success.