Discoveries from Finland World Cinema

A young Finnish-Swedish man is forced to face his repressed childhood when the national duty calls.

A young heiress settles into a holiday hotel in search of a suitable husband. There are enough groom candidates, some gentlemen, and some cheaters. All that is certain is that the misfortunes will not end.

Paavo and Eeva, two young people who have moved from the countryside to the city, meet a gang led by Kalle, who spend their time loitering and committing petty crimes. A fateful evening on a motorboat irrevocably changes the young people's lives.

A poisoned meatball starts a series of unfortunate events

The farmer now has found a wife.

The holiday of Pharmacist Himanen and Lieutenant Paavo Kehkonen turns into a nightmare when they pick up Station Chief Viirimäki, who is in a hurry to get to work. Their boat engine dies and runs into the rocks, leaving them stranded on an island with no clothes. Posing as a woman, Himanen gets to know the police chief's daughter Alli, but as a result of coincidences and misunderstandings, the two men end up in jail, each suspected in turn of being a fugitive Vikström.

Uuno Turhapuro is searching for a job and takes a correspondence course in tour guiding. Eventually he gets a job in a small travel agency and takes a group of Finnish tourists to Marbella, Spain. Unfortunately Uuno's father-in-law Tuura is in the group, too, with his wife and daughter, Uuno's wife Elisabet. Tuura tries to get a signature to an important paper from a minister who's having a holiday in the area. Meanwhile, Uuno just relaxes and enjoys the sun.

Everything is on track in the life of the beloved but eccentric surgeon Petteri Holopainen but when a patient close to him is rushed to the hospital, nothing can go back to the way it was. Holopainen loses everything he holds dear. When a familiar person from the past enters his life, Holopainen must decide what still matters.

A documentary puppet animation about Iiti’s (28) moving in day. As if a sign from the universe for her poor life choices, there seems to be a nightmarish mouse lurking in the shadows of her new home. Iiti has to get rid of the mouse by whatever means necessary. She arms herself with mouse traps, lethal spray and even an ultrasonic repellant. But the nasty mouse problem just escalates and ultimately leads Iiti to a strange coincidence. Could Iiti be a mouse herself?

Firefighter Jesse heroically rescues ten children from a devastating fire. But it soon becomes clear that Jesse is not a hero after all, and a thrilling adventure begins, the outcome of which is difficult to predict.

The secret past of a World War II-era intelligence officer comes to light when his grandson, actor Joonas Saartamo, begins to investigate his grandfather's activities as the leader of a long-range reconnaissance patrol. Meeting various experts along the way, Saartamo discovers a new insight into the crucial role of long-range reconnaissance patrols in war. He also realizes how strongly the weight of his grandfather's war experiences has been passed down from generation to generation, affecting him directly.

A short film from the late 1930s commissioned by the Finnish Broadcasting Company Yleisradio's propaganda department showcases Kouluradio (School Radio), a radio broadcast for school children, and also includes "myths and truths about the signs of spring". The film is narrated by Pekka Tiilikainen, and radio announcer Kaisu Puuska-Joki portrays, among other things, a lark on May Day morning.

Sisters Kiia and Eija moved away from the village of Pirunperä in Kainuu after their father committed suicide. Kiia has become a sculptor and is plagued by nightmares related to her home village. Kiia returns to her hometown to create sculptures for the local church. At the same time, she investigates her father's and her hometown's past.

Uuno is forced to complete his mandatory military service when it is revealed that he only spent one day in the army in his youth. As is typical of the Turhapuro series his family and friends become closely tied in with these events. His friends Härski Hartikainen and Sörsselssön return to the army for a refresher course and by chance Uuno's father-in-law, Councillor Tuura is made the Finnish Defence Minister. In one of the most memorable scenes, Uuno's wife, Elisabeth, dresses as Uuno and substitutes him for a day as Uuno has an apparently urgent meeting (at a restaurant) and while becoming lost in the woods with a malfunctioning radio, Tuura accidentally declares war on Sweden.

On a frosty winter's morning, Hemulen wakes the sleeping Moomins to prepare them for the approaching Christmas. But the Moomintrolls, who normally go dormant during the winter months, have never celebrated Christmas and have no idea what the holiday means. Their confusion and delight in the white winter landscape lead to a journey of discovery, where they are forced to understand the true meaning of Christmas.

Two friends have their faith put to the test.

Henkka Virtanen finds evidence of a possible crime on his way to school. With his friend J.K. Kivimutka, the boys decide to investigate what has happened, because these criminal cases are the responsibility of the detective agency they have set up. When it turns out that mailboxes in the area have disappeared during the night, the detective bureau has already two crimes to solve. A fun and exciting adventure begins, in which the boys also have to face their own fears.

Nina, Erik, and Heikki are charged in court and receive prison sentences, with the girl receiving a suspended sentence. Erik's father Tauno returns home and finds Nina waiting for him. The girl recounts the events that led to the situation, which are presented in flashback.

A love story set in the world of theater. Romeo and Juliet is to be the season's grand premiere. Noora, the female lead in the play, breaks her leg at the kickoff party, and Laura, an actress who due to her debilitating stage fright has ended up as the prompter for the play, gets a chance of a lifetime. There are 8 days to the premiere.

An uptight all-girl school teacher Leena Kataja stumbles upon a handsome artist Pertti Rinne who paints her face on a nude portrait, much to her chagrin. She is intent on keeping the painting out of circulation by stealing it from an art gallery, but the aftermath turns out to be more complex than she anticipated, leading Leena to become involved in various misunderstandings featuring a gang of criminals, inept cops and false murder charges among other things.

A man sets out to prove his right against a District Court in a small town. The locals are not willing to accept anything but their own truth of the matter.

Ricky and Nelly decide to take part in arm wrestling competition during their summer holiday.

A warm-hearted comedy about three ordinary people in an unusual situation.

The Persian ruler Shah Nadir has only one daughter. Princess Lindagull is kind-hearted, but feels trapped in her palace life. The vengeful King Bom-Bali sends a Lappish witch disguised as a tiger to kidnap the beloved Princess.

The film aims to reveal what the general public has been unable to see: the modest and mysterious inner world of Jari Litmanen. In addition to reviewing the stages of the great soccer player and "artist's" own life, the film also examines the experiences and thoughts of other people connected to his life, such as his teammates and supporters, about Jari Litmanen, soccer, and life itself.

The controversial Jouko Turkka, actor, writer, teacher and stage director. With his mostly devoted students at the Theatre Academy/University of the Arts Helsinki, Finland. Where he was appointed professor of stage production 1981-1984.

After his wife leaves him, a man becomes obsessed getting his family back together by buying an old house.

The movement of slime mould, primitive Amoebozoa organisms, is combined with pattern subjects selected from Karelian thread blankets. The poem heard in the background expresses themes of time, circulation and decomposing.

Miss Europe Hunting (1955) is a romantic comedy directed by Erik Blomberg and co-written with Lars-Eric Malmlund, which utilizes material recorded during the Miss Europe competitions held in Finland. The story follows the career and relationship development of bird photographer Antero Lintunen (Lasse Pöysti) and American journalist Evelyn McNutty (Lippe Hokkanen). In the path signified by coincidences and misunderstandings, they also find each other.

A caper comedy about two friends, Simo and Lasse, who try to earn their living as burglars. But now there's also Baby Simo.

Taru lives with her husband and this teenage daughter Ninni. The family's life is shaken when Ninni has an accident and Ninni's biological mother and Taru's half-sister Eve show up. Soon things from the women's past will surface.

11-year-old Onni is struck with the idea that his parents aren't his biological parents.

Exhausted by odd jobs and a lack of money, Siru manages to lie her way into becoming a fake doctor by a series of misunderstandings. Her new relationship with lawyer Niko is hopefully true, although it seems that not only Siru but several of her close friends are also lying. Some of them even lie for a living.

An adolescent boy’s life is slipping into a vicious cycle of crime and school.

Tells the story of young Anja, a teenage girl living in an approved school (otherwise known as a reform school), and the problems she faces in the outside world after running away.

Elsa lives in a childless marriage. But she longs for a baby. She is drawn to a man that could be the father of her long awaited child.

Leila is a recently divorced woman. She looks around the empty house and finds it difficult to understand that this is her life. The night before moving out, Leila wakes up to a knocking that seems to come from inside her living room wall. A man inside claims to be a time traveler from the future.

Over 90 years old Ellen Vuosalo has lived many lives. First as a Finnish immigrant in Canada, then as a zoology student in California and finally as a mother of snow cranes in Iran. Iiris Härmä's Mother of Snow Cranes tells the story of an incredible woman's extraordinary life, from love to tragedy to revolution. It is a story about nature, humanity, and the role of women in both the West and Iranian culture. Or as Ellen herself says " What a life! What a world!"

St.Petersburg, 1830. An arrogant Finnish baron is playing cards with a Russian officer. Needless to say, the Finn wins and the Russian gets extremely annoyed. The situation is not helped by the fact that the baron has been seeing a girl that the Russian officer has also set his eyes on. They decide to have a duel and after the Finn wins fair and square, he has to escape because the untrustworthy Russians are after him.

A young man tries to drown out feelings brought on by his painful breakup but can't even seem to get rid of his ex-girlfriend's hair.

Deaconess Eija Seppä brings comfort and hope to those who have experienced hardships. Her whole heart rejoices and weeps with the people of Utsjoki. Life consists of genuine caring, but also of letting go.

Two cultists do door-to-door missionary work and in one house accidentally kill a person. That same night, a group of live action role-players enter the house. The cultists must hide the body, play along and survive the night.

The main characters of the film are two small boys who share the throne of Karmapa, the highest office of one of Tibetan Buddhism's main sects and the third in line after the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama. As with the Dalai Lama, Karmapa is the same soul which reincarnates in each successor to the office, who is identified by omens, portents and other signs. The Karmapa line actually pre-dates the Dalai Lama's, and their respective importance has alternated in the course of history with either the Karmapa or Dalai Lama holding precedence. Only one of the current Karmapas lives in Tibet, who is recognized by the Dalai Lama but controlled by the Chinese government for political ends. The second Karmapa lives in New Delhi, India and was selected by a Tibetan group in exile. The film was shot in India, Nepal and Tibet and features the Dalai Lama as narrator, providing an incisive spiritual and political view of occupied Tibet.

Tale about an inventor couple and their obscured vision to raise a child to fly.

Documentary for Finnish television about Spring Rhythms ("Весенние ритмы") — one of the first official rock festivals in USSR. It took place in Tbilisi, from 8 to 16 March of 1980. The festival was organised by famous music journalist Artemiy Troitskiy with the cooperation of Georgian government. The "Аквариум" band was taken off scene because of their provocative conduct. In 1981 the official tracklist album was released.

Tuija Suvi, who works as a model, is delivering a dress to the daughter of a commercial counselor, but she has an accident and ends up meeting musician Asko Kari. Asko assumes that Tuija is the daughter of the commercial counselor and ends up inviting her to a restaurant, where both try to pretend to be something they are not. Gradually, however, the couple begins to truly fall in love with each other.

A story about the life of Eero, a machine shop worker, and his younger brother Martin in the working-class neighborhoods of Helsinki, and the change brought about by a conductor and his daughter who move in next door.

The film tells the story of two very popular Finnish singer/songwriters: Tapio Rautavaara and Repe Helismaa, who worked together until their relationship got frictious for a long time. The film covers the years from 1949 to 1965. Since the film is based on real-life persons it also tells much about the change in Finland during those years and of course much about Finnish popular music.

February Manifesto was Yrjö Norta's and Toivo Särkkä's Finnish movie from 1939. It is a Finnish historical drama about developing independency based on book of the writer Mika Waltari. Movie Starring Tauno Palo and Regina Linnanheimo. For it's anti-soviet thematics it was banned in Finland from 1944 to 1987.

At first glance Maarit looks like any other woman in her early forties. There is, however, something strange under the surface. She radiates sexual energy that is hard to define.

Leeni, a country girl, leaves to seek her fortune in Helsinki, but encounters numerous difficulties.

A quiet staircase of an ordinary office building. Two colleagues, Markku, an older accountant, and Eeva, younger HR manager are heading down the stairs, one after another. It turns out that earlier that day, Eeva has had to tell Markku that he has been fired from the company after many years. Markku is bitter and full of rage. Then something unordinary happens.

Dr. Aitamaa is spending holiday with his family at their summer villa. He accidentally reads a letter that was meant to his wife. The letter is from another man. Aitamaa follows his wife to the city and finds out that she has a lover. Later the wife is found killed and Aitamaa becomes the prime suspect.

A woman wakes up on a beach tied in a plastic press wearing only underwear and high heels. “Not again”, she sighs and decides to track down the enemy and strike back. She gets a companion from an older woman, who has been pushed to the borders of society. During their journey through classical cinematic landscapes these nameless women from different generations struggle to connect and understand each other’s perspectives while their passion for men and male attention gets in away.

Once a naïve, love-struck girl now forsaken by her lover, Maija leaves her island home to work as a housemaid in the city, only to be seduced by her employer's son Erkki, then forced to leave the household in order to avoid the scandal of a pregnancy. With few prospects for a decent job, Maija is reduced to working as a bar hostess to make ends meet, ever fending off the advances of disreputable clients, even as she continues to hold out hope for an enduring love that will redeem her from her fate.

Sankarialokas is a parody about military life from year 1955.

Ana buys a recording studio in the Kill City neighborhood, whose former owner, "Lare," has disappeared. The studio is broken into the following night, and a tape disappears. Ana is taken in for questioning by the police, who tell her that Lare was last seen at a hotel in London, where a suitcase full of money was found. After this, Ana is beaten unconscious near Kill City and becomes entangled in the world of crime.

Set in 1860's Transylvania, a group of travelers ends to the Dracula's castle.

Irmeli, a fashion designer enjoying herself in Hanko, is urgently needed at her workplace. Ritva sets off to fetch her sister, but ends up by chance as a maid at Director Markka's villa, where Irmeli soon finds herself too. Director Markka and his nephew Reima are charmed by the clever sisters.