From September 25-27, Finnish Film Affair will gather hundreds of film professionals in Helsinki for a 3-day industry event packed with insightful sessions, workshops, business opportunities, and networking. With accreditations on sale until September 15 and the program soon to be released, FFA anticipates substantial growth in attendance and a doubling of its programme.
Celebrating its 13th edition, Finnish Film Affair, the industry event of Helsinki International Film Festival, is significantly expanding its program in 2024. FFA will dive headfirst into the latest trends such as AI, transmedia, innovative financing models and layered storytelling. Following suit to industry wishes, one of the most eagerly awaited additions to the programme is an innovative pitching session, Finnish Weird, which will showcase up-and-coming talent presenting the most unusual, daring, and unexplored ideas across a wide range of formats.
Finnish Weird invites emerging directors, producers, scriptwriters and game developers, to submit projects that defy traditional standards and embrace uniqueness and oddity. By welcoming unconventional ideas, the pitching series celebrates a fresh and uncommon side of filmmaking, making Finnish Film Affair the first industry event in the Nordics to highlight emerging talent that pushes the boundaries of creativity.
“We want FFA to be known around the world as an event where the most special film, TV and transmedia projects are pitched; the projects that you don’t come across elsewhere! Finland’s landscape already includes all kinds of exoticism, so why not take advantage of this strangeness/oddity/peculiarity and make it an export product at the same time? We hope that the Finnish Weird pitch session will have a long and international future, which will direct attention, resources and conditions to the Finnish audiovisual industry to create global networks,” expressed Alisha Hasan, Head of Industry.
Highlighting Finland’s popularity for its unique quirks, Finnish Weird asks filmmakers to bring to light their own definition of ‘weirdness’, offering a glimpse into the future of filmmaking trends. The open call welcomes submissions from around the world in a wide variety of formats, including feature, documentaries, TV series, reality TV shows, and transmedia projects.
A total of twenty projects will be selected to give a 2-minutes pitch before a jury of industry professionals. The winning project will receive gear rental sponsored by Angel Films, editing facilities sponsored by Postcontrol, and a €2000 prize sponsored by the newly founded Riimu Creative Agency, headed by Laura Laaksonen.
“Embracing fresh talent is precisely why I started this agency, so I wholeheartedly welcome this pitching session. The theme ‘Finnish Weird’ is perfect, capturing the essence of internationally successful Finnish cultural phenomena like our heavy metal bands that I absolutely admire. As an FFA alumna, it’s an honor to see what we nurtured for five years grow into new realms under Alisha and her talented team,” expressed Laura Laaksonen.
The open call begins on August 6 and runs until August 25. Guidelines for applying can be found here. Finnish Weird will take place on September 25 at Bio Rex Lasipalatsi and will be hosted by filmmaker Mariangela Pluchino.
The complete Finnish Film Affair programme will be published by early September. Accreditation for FFA can be purchased here until September 15.