Tag Archive for: FFA 2025

Flame Game

in

A contemporary interpretation of Orpheus & Eurydice story set in a ghostly nightclub. Gilda and Rio, a ballroom couple, are desperate to win a dance contest as it promises a cash prize. The story follows Gilda, who must navigate a surreal venue to save Rio, as he falls under the spell. As he turned distant and cold in the ice-room backstage, Gilda must find a way to break the curse. In a ghostly club filled with temptations, she can lead him out with only one condition – she cannot look back.

The Blueprint of a Crime

in

When the son of a Korean shipping magnate goes missing in Lapland’s frozen wilderness, two unlikely detectives must team up: Markus Louhi, a burnt-out Helsinki cop estranged from his daughter, and Nari Jung, a Seoul detective haunted by her child’s death.

Their search uncovers a web of corporate murder and fraud involving groundbreaking maritime technology that threatens to topple global shipping empires. But the massive conspiracy is just the beginning—as Arctic conditions strip away all pretenses, both detectives must confront their darkest secrets to survive.

A gripping international crime series combining Nordic noir atmosphere with high-stakes corporate espionage. Two broken detectives, one deadly conspiracy, and the unforgiving Arctic wilderness where survival depends on confronting the truth.

The Blueprint of a Crime is a unique fusion of Nordic and Korean crime storytelling – where personal redemption meets global conspiracy in a visually stunning yet deadly landscape.

Pigtown

in

Pigtown is a rural romantic zombie horror comedy set in the idyllic Finnish countryside. Iida, a long-time animal rights activist, wants to stop breaking into farms, but her radical friend Anja goes too far: she poisons pig feed with a strange black liquid that gradually turns the pigs into bloodthirsty zombies. When an unlucky farmhand gets bitten, the disease spreads to humans. At the same time, Sami, a city boy ashamed of his roots, arrives for a relaxing weekend on his family farm. When he meets Iida at the village festival, sparks fly—until the villagers start turning one by one and village bingo erupts into a zombie bloodbath. Packed with dark humor, blood-splattered fields, eccentric villagers, and weaponized combine harvesters, Pigtown is a rural genre mashup like no other. It blends splatter horror, love story, and sharp satire into an unforgettable cult experience about farming, food, and survival.

Polyorama

in

Tonight, Ingrid Holm (Edda Björgvsindóttir) 70, Icelandic star of stage and screen, is opening a new theatre show. Vincent Beck (Sean Harris) 60, an English journalist, and devoted Ingrid fan, arrives backstage to interview Ingrid. Ingrid has zero time for this. Vincent waits.

Líf, the young costume designer, is having an affair with older actor Kári. Lif tired of Kari’s broken promises to leave his wife, decides to take control and get rid of Kari.  Kári, crushed ego, retaliates by tricking newbie actor Daniel into believing Líf wants to share them both. 

Meanwhile, Vincent’s snooping around, his motives now sinister. Post show, Daniel buys into Kari’s false threesome, igniting brutal consequences. Out in the empty theatre, Ingrid must confront Vincent…and her past.

Thundering Smoke

in

In a black and white world where everyone sees only in black and
white, a mysterious hitwoman in her early 50s, Barni, resurfaces
in a Somali village after years of vanishing without a trace to
seek vengeance against the ruthless crime boss, Ardo, who rules
the village with fear.

On a fateful night, a young bus conductor, Abshir, 21, witnesses a
deadly sword fight between members of Ardo’s gang and Barni, the mysterious hitwoman. To his shock, Abshir sees Barni in COLOUR, something no one else in his world has ever experienced.

Driven by an insatiable curiosity, Abshir embarks on a secret
mission to track down Barni in an attempt to uncover her true
identity but what begins as an innocent intrigue quickly spirals
into a dangerous pursuit, pulling him deeper into a perilous
world, where escape is no longer an option

When Johan Johanaš disappeared to the mountains

in

Máttáráhkká is a surreal and feminist growth story about Máret, a 38-year-old woman who dreams of leaving for Europe as an actress and escaping her arctic homeland. Predators are always present, blood is everywhere and women’s silence is golden.

When she meets the sexy and popular Johan Johanaš, a passionate relationship awakens her spiritual and sexual power, but also resurfaces old sexual and chauvinistic traumas. As a rebellious woman, she doesn’t obey the rule to stay away from the mountain Máttáráhkká. Nothing happens to Máret as she climbs there. She starts to make a film about it.

The film is invited to an European film festival and she flees – only to find that the dream place, called Europe, is grey and alienating. Máret chooses to return home. There she learns that Johan Johanaš has vanished in an avalanche. She is certain that Máttáráhkká is punishing her for not obeying the rules. But Johan Johanaš is not dead – he simply ghosted her.

Heartbroken, Máret turns fully to storytelling and begins making a film about sexual violence in her community.

If you want to survive in the world of beasts, you have to be a little bit of a beast yourself.

The Wolf’s Bride

in

The Wolf’s Bride is not a conventional biopic of the novelist Aino Kallas (1878-1956) but a poetic horror film, a physical descent into the mind of a writer who turns into a werewolf in order to gain her freedom. 

When a respectable diplomat’s wife and a writer Aino Kallas gets bitten by a mysterious poet, she begins to transform into something she can’t control: a werewolf that violently tries to break free from her patriarchal life. As the transformation progresses Kallas’s real life fuses with her literary alter ego: Aalo, the werewolf-bride of her most famous novella The Wolf’s Bride. Soon, it will be impossible to separate the two. 

Kallas finds herself torn between the real and imaginary, both demanding her completely: her husband and children pulling her into the light, the poet calling her deeper into the darkness. In order to find her freedom, Kallas must descent into the depths of creativity and duality, and take control of her own faith. Even if it may lead to a mortal transformation.

The Wolf’s Bride is a love letter to creative possession, and a haunting journey into the inner world of Aino Kallas — Finnish-Estonian author, myth-maker, and passionate soul. 

Son of Revenge – The Story of Kalevala

in

In 11th-century Finland a feud between two brothers, Kalervo and Untamo, leads to the massacre of an entire village. The only survivor is Kalervo’s infant son, Kullervo, whom Untamo decides to raise as his own. But Kullervo is different—strong, and unpredictable. As he grows, Kullervo is treated as both an outcast and a slave, unaware of his true lineage. His raw power and rebellious nature make him a dangerous presence and after a series of violent clashes, the village attempts to execute him. Miraculously he survives and is sold into slavery under the blacksmith Ilmarinen. For the first time, Kullervo finds purpose, honing his skills and forging weapons—until a cruel betrayal shatters his brief happiness. When Kullervo learns the truth about his past, his path becomes clear: revenge. His journey takes him through treacherous lands into the hands of slave traders, only to uncover a devastating secret. As he returns to face Untamo he is no longer a lost boy but a warrior consumed by vengeance. In a final confrontation Kullervo forces Untamo to reckon with his sins. But revenge has its price and Kullervo’s fate is sealed in blood. His legend, however, will never die.

Ragnar’s Escape

in

Set in the final days of WWII, Ragnar’s Escape is a gripping yet heartwarming family adventure about resilience, difference, and belonging. Eleven-year-old Ragnar, a boy with a learning disability, struggles to fit in at home and school. Misunderstood by his strict father but rich in imagination, Ragnar escapes into fantasy to cope with reality.

After his family is forced to evacuate their farm in Porkala, Ragnar struggles to adjust to a cramped, unfamiliar life. Hoping to prove himself, he secretly borrows his grandfather’s glasses—only to be accused of theft by his father. Overwhelmed by shame, Ragnar runs away to their former home, now occupied by Soviet soldiers.

Captured, he reunites with an eccentric German entomologist who once recognized Ragnar’s unique mind. Together, the unlikely pair plot a daring escape through occupied territory, using wits, creativity, and nature itself as their guide.

Ragnar’s Escape blends adventure, emotional depth, and humor, offering international audiences a fresh, character-driven story inspired by true events. With universal themes and a visually rich Nordic setting, the film speaks to families and young audiences alike.

Tell Everyone

in

In 1898, in Southern Finland, a young woman arrives to Seili sanatorium island, a final destination for troublesome females. Amanda Aaltonen is a misfit with the spirit of anarchy and adventure. She has lead an unconventional vagabond life for a decade, and she tells everyone she has flown to Seili on a hot-air balloon from Paris. Adamant to flee the hell out of the island, Amanda starts to plan her escape. But to succeed, she has to connect with the other women, and before she knows it, she has found a soul sister in Little Greta, and, for the first time ever, a community that knows what life is like for misfit women. When she is ordered to help repair the island’s crown jewels, the fishermen’s nets, she gains a new status – and falls secretly in love. But the new happiness is soon to end: the true friendship is painfully lost, the secret love is betrayed. The oblivion of madness whispers alluringly. Amanda tries to save herself by freezing her heart once more. But when a new young patient is forced in, reflecting on her life, she has to gamble one final time with her own fate, and choose between freedom and belonging, escape and acceptance.

Helsinki International Film Festival –
Rakkautta & Anarkiaa ry
Bulevardi 5 A 12
00120 Helsinki, Finland

    Subscribe to HIFF Industry newsletter

    By submitting you agree to our Privacy Statement. You can opt out any time.

    © HIFF Industry | Privacy Statement | Contact us

    Cookie Settings

    Powered by Devaajanne