A seasoned professional in film and TV production, Alisha Hasan started as Head of Industry at Finnish Film Affair (FFA) on 15th April 2024.
Transitioning from Gutsy Animations as Head of Marketing, Hasan brings a 15-year rich and multifaceted career. Reflecting on her new role, Hasan shares, “I am quite excited to start this journey at Finnish Film Affair and the festival overall. Besides being a producer for more than a decade, one of my recent experiences includes working in the gaming industry, more precisely at Game Lounge in Malta, where I built the second-largest professional video production department in the entire industry. I believe my varied background brings new perspectives and ideas that will be useful for Finnish Film Affair”.
Organised since 2012, Finnish Film Affair (FFA) is the industry event of Helsinki International Film Festival – Love & Anarchy, serving as a platform for internationally showcasing Finnish and Nordic films. FFA offers a vibrant meeting point for both national and international professionals, aiming at supporting the industry’s growth potential. FFA attracted more than 500 professionals from 25 different countries in its last edition in 2023. “Just as Finnish Film Affair is a great arena for new and interesting cooperations to be born, I am ready to promote new openings: my wish is to create new bold conversations, bringing more international connections to Finland as well as new perspectives, considering: how do we see our own country and our field? My goal is to become aware of useful information about this field that we can bring forward”, Hasan says.
Hasan’s expertise includes strong knowledge of envisioning innovative ways of acquiring and distributing funding. At a time when the film industry and the cultural field overall are under the threat of significant financial cuts, Hasan’s skills come with a potential for opening new ways and conversations. “One of my areas of interest is funding, and how we can develop new financing ways: it can be by creating new funding models from scratch, or even by creating new connections with the gaming industry, for example”, Hasan reflects.
Hasan has already started with the planning of Finnish Film Affair’s 13th edition, while also actively following the production of the first Söderlångvik Masterclass, organised on 3-5 May as a joint initiative between Föreningen Konstsamfundet and Helsinki International Film Festival. The Masterclass brings twelve skilled actors and directors from the Nordic countries for a weekend-long residency of shared knowledge. Hasan sees this as a great example of fruitful Nordic collaboration. “There are plenty of possibilities here that align with Finnish Film Affair and inspire future ideas: that is also a good reflection of Finnish Film Affair and that I wish to develop in the future: How do we see our program as a product? I am interested in finding, planning, and developing a balance between art and marketing: how do we take our artistic product forward and internationally in new ways? I believe that FFA is aiming at bringing new thoughts into the field”.
The 13th Finnish Film Affair will be organized on 25th – 27th September 2024.