Finnish Film Affair’s industry programme features talks on topical issues, Finnish Film Affair’s industry programme features talks on topical issues, such as the dreams and aspirations of 20-something filmmakers, theatrical distributions in the Nordics, as well as running co-productions with German filmmakers.

Wednesday 21.9.
13:00-14:30 Industry Session: How to Be An Agent of Change (Bio Rex)
15:00-16:00 Industry Session: The New Filmmakers, organised in collaboration with NFTF (Bio Rex)

Friday 23.9.
10:00-11:15 Industry Session: Theatrical Distribution in the Nordics (Bio Rex)
11:30-12:30 Industry Session: Co-Producing with Germany (Bio Rex)
14:00-15:30 Industry Session: XYZ Masterclass – Developing growth strategies for success at home and abroad (Bio Rex), organised in collaboration with Film Tampere

How to Be An Agent of Change

This immersive public workshop delves into how to discover your leadership skills as a creative, with a special focus on how awareness about sustainability, inclusion and audience outreach can be turned into assets for development.

In this open holistic session, the participants will reflect on how our private and work lives, our projects, the audience, and our planet footprint can impact and inspire the myriad daily work decisions and project development steps we make – as creators and decisionmakers.

This session is delivered by experienced lab coaches, scriptwriter Valeria Richter and producer Helene Granqvist from Nordic Factory, and is also part of the New Nordic Narratives and Nordic Flair training sessions.

The New Filmmakers: Challenges and Dreams of the 2020s

What are the challenges, hopes and dreams of the 2020s, for a new filmmaking generation in their 20s? What inspires in the Nordics and globally and what kind of content would they like to watch in the future? Joining moderator Andrea Reuter on stage are producer and Nordic Film Lab 2022 delegate Agnes Parkrud (B-Reel Films AB), director Arman Zafari (Aalto University) and screenwriter Lotte Laitinen (Aurora Studios).

Finnish Film Affair is delighted to collaborate again with Nordisk Film & TV Fond for this topical panel. The discussion is a part of NFTF’s 20-something theme year.

Theatrical Distribution in the Nordics

Theatrical distribution is in flux, but there have also been success stories even during the pandemic. How do distributors currently innovate to find and attract audiences to the cinemas, and what elements will make the industry still golden in the future?

In this discussion, we’ll hear stories and examples of both fiction and documentary films from the theatrical sphere in the Nordics. Speakers include Rose-Marie Holst (Folkets Bio), Michael Fleischer (Scandinavian Film Distribution) and Yaba Holst (SF Studios)who will discuss their upcoming plans for Ruben Östlund’s Cannes winner Triangle of Sadness, which also opens the 35th Helsinki International Film Festival – Love & Anarchy. The discussion is moderated by Petri Kemppinen, CEO of Aurora Studios.

Co-Producing with Germany

Finland and Germany are enjoying a fruitful film relationship, with more exciting co-productions in
the works. In this talk, moderator Marta Balaga will discuss with international producers about how their co-productions have been initiated, nurtured and what’s to come next.

Speakers are Jussi Rantamäki from Aamu Film Company and Jamila Wenske from Achtung Panda! who have co-produced together for example The Woodcutter Story and Compartment No. 6, Heino Deckert from Ma.ja.deFilmproduktion (Invisible Demons) and Marianne Mäkelä from Napa Films (Game of Minds).

The discussion is organised in collaboration with German Films and Creative Europe Media Desk
Finland.

XYZ Masterclass – Developing growth strategies for success at home and abroad, organised in collaboration with Film Tampere

Finnish Film Affair is delighted to collaborate with Film Tampere this year to present their next masterclass in cooperation with XYZ Films. ‘Developing growth strategies for success at home and abroad’ is an in-depth conversation with experts in film, television, documentary and animation about the opportunities and challenges in the domestic and international marketplace. The goal of the masterclass is to break down the key components of growth in constantly changing and unstable circumstances.

The masterclass is moderated by Aram Tertzakian, co-founder of Los Angeles-based XYZ Films, and hosted by Fanny Heinonen, film specialist at Film Tampere.

The panelists are:
Beth Parker, Managing Director at Gigglebug Entertainment
Joakim Hansson, Senior Producer at SF Studios
Max Malka, Head of Scripted at Endemol Shine Finland
Niina Virtanen, CEO and Producer at Wacky Tie Films

The masterclass is funded by European Union – Next Generation EU and is part of a business and public sector growth deal project in the Finnish audiovisual sector. #kasvusopimus