News

Exclusive: Cliffhanger and The Long Kiss Goodnight filmmaker Renny Harlin has completed filming on Class Reunion 3, his debut Finnish-language feature and the third entry in the highly successful series of comedy films from his native country.

The Solar Films production wrapped a rare pandemic era shoot after employing extensive Covid-19 safety regulations, including distancing, hygiene measures, and having a specially appointed virus safety supervisor on set.

As Deadline reported back in June, the pic was set to be one of the first European features to roll cameras since the pandemic gripped the production sector back in March, forcing near total shutdown of production around the world.

Class Reunion 3 is produced by Markus Selin and Jukka Helle of prominent local outfit Solar Films. It stars Jaajo Linnonmaa, a popular radio host in Finland, local celebrity actor Aku Hirviniemi, and famous standup comedian Sami Hedberg. The script was written by Harlin and...

Renny Harlin, one of Finland’s most successful exports to Hollywood having helmed the likes of Cliffhanger, The Long Kiss Goodnight, and Deep Blue Sea, is switching to his native language for his latest project, the third chapter in the highly successful comedy series Class Reunion.

The project is aiming for a late June production start date in Finland, local producers Solar Films told Deadline. This will be dependent on cast availabilities and ongoing consultation regarding Covid-19 safety, they outlined. The project could become of the first European features to roll cameras since the near-global production shutdown caused by the pandemic.

Finland has managed to largely contain the coronavirus spread, recording 320 deaths to date, which despite its fairly small population of 5.5 million still looks favorable in comparison with other European nations.

Class Reunion 3 will shoot with various Covid-19 safety measures in place, including having a specifically allocated person to supervise regulations on set,...

A curmudgeonly elderly farmer is the star of this so-so Finnish comedy drama

This so-so Finnish comedy drama stars Antti Litja as a curmudgeonly elderly farmer, never named in the dialogue, who is forced by an injury to spend time in Helsinki with his milquetoast son Hessu (Iikka Forss) and career-minded daughter-in-law Liisa (Mari Perankoski). Naturally, his Alf Garnett-like sniping about modern ways, uppity women and the inadvisability of letting black people work in restaurants tests Liisa’s bourgeois capacity for politeness to the limit, especially when his irascible ways threaten a business deal with some Russian clients. With such an overworked set-up, the main intrigue lies in seeing exactly how dislikable writer-director Dome Karukoski is willing to make the characters before everything goes soft for the intergenerational rapprochement in the last act. Some might feel the satire is too lacking in edge, while the drama is a too flaccid...

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has unveiled its 2015 line-up which includes films representing 54 countries, 23 world premieres and 53 U.S. premieres. The U.S. premiere of Niki Caro’s McFarland USA will close out the 30th fest. Based on the 1987 true story and starring Kevin Costner and Maria Bello, the film follows novice runners from McFarland, an economically challenged town in California’s farm-rich Central Valley, as they give their all to build a cross-country team under the direction of Coach Jim White (Costner), a newcomer to their predominantly Latino high school. The unlikely band of runners overcomes the odds to forge not only a championship cross-country team but an enduring legacy as well.

The festival runs from January 27-February 7.

Below is the list of World and U.S. Premiere films followed by the list of titles by sidebar categories.

World Premieres

A Better You, USA

Directed by Matt Walsh

Cast: Brian Huskey,...

A self-acknowledged "showcase for Academy Award frontrunners," the Santa Barbara International Film Festival is often overlooked for the actual films that earn it festival status. An amalgamation of international discoveries and ’merica’s circuit highlights, the Sbiff curates a week of best-of-the-best to pair with their star-praising. The 2015 edition offers another expansive selection, bookended by two films that aren’t on any radars just yet. Sbiff will open with "Desert Dancer," producer Richard Raymond’s directorial debut. Starring Reece Ritchie and Frieda Pinto, the drama follows a group of friends who wave off the harsh political climate of Iran’s 2009 presidential election in favor of forming a dance team, picking up moves from Michael Jackson, Gene Kelly and Rudolf Nureyev thanks to the magic of YouTube. The festival will close with "McFarland, USA," starring Kevin Costner and Maria Bello. Telling the 1987 true story of a Latino high school’s underdog cross-country team,...