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“Kalevala,” a compilation of epic poetry drawn from Karelian and Finnish folklore and mythology, is full of violence, but director Antti J. Jokinen – who has adapted the book for his film “Kalevala: The Story of Kullervo,” set in the 1100s and centering on the tragic hero Kullervo – has “no interest” in that.

“It won’t be a super violent film. We have fight sequences, the swords are heavy and the actors have been training for a year now. But it’s more interesting to show the impact violence has on people,” he tells Variety.

Jokinen has already dealt with a similar dilemma in “Purge,” taking on human trafficking and sexual cruelty. “I cut out a lot of [the violence] from the original book but its writer Sofi [Oksanen] was adamant: ‘Don’t clean it up too much.’ The violence towards women needed to be shown. This time, I had more freedom, because everyone...

Sf Studios is set to co-produce and distribute “Kalevala: The Story of Kullervo,” a big-budget historical drama based on Finland’s national epic “Kalevala” which will be directed Antti J. Jokinen.

Nordic stars Elias Salonen and and Eero Aho (“The Unknown Soldier”) are set to star in leading roles. Johanna Enäsuo and Marko Röhr, at ReelMedia are producing the film, while Sf Studios will distribute the film in the Nordics with an expected theatrical release in Finnish theaters in early 2026. REinvent has boarded international sales.

“Kalevala: The Story of Kullervo” marks the first feature film adaptation of the Finnish national epic poetry compilation “Kalevala” which blends Karelian and Finnish folklore and mythology, and was created in 1835 by Elias Lönnrot, a Finnish doctor and explorer.

Set in the 1100’s, the period film will be mainly shot on location in Bomba, near the Lake Pielinen in Nurmes in North Karelia. Extensive sets are being built,...

Directed by Antti Jokkinen, the biopic is about Finnish painter Helene Schjerfbeck.

Picture Tree International has boarded sales for Antti Jokinen’s Finnish drama Helene.

Picture Tree plans to screen the film for buyers at Goteborg’s Nordic Film Market and at Berlin’s European Film Market, with a festival premiere coming later in 2020. The film was previously touted as a work in progress in Haugesund in August 2019.

The biopic is about Helene Schjerfbeck, a Finnish painter who lived a quiet life in the countryside with her elderly mother. The film covers her life from 1915-1923, when an art dealer...

Finnish production from Frozen Land director will feature 14,000 extras.

Finnish director Aku Louhimies will start shooting his new epic The Unknown Soldier (Tuntematon Sotilas) on June 6, with 80 filming days scheduled.

Sf Film Finland has the theatrical launch slated for October 2017, timed to the 100th anniversary of Finland’s independence.

The World War 2 historical-drama tells the story of a platoon of ordinary Finnish soldiers in the battlefield between Finland and the Soviet Union.

The script is adapted from Väinö Linna’s bestselling 1954 novel, and its uncensored version from 2000.

The book, translated into 23 languages, has been filmed twice before as 1955 and 1985 hits.

“The story of The Unknown Soldier is very universal. It’s a gripping portrayal of how a tragedy changes us all,” said Louhimies.

Eero Aho (Tears Of April, 8-Ball) will play Corporal Rokka, Jussi Vatanen (Lapland Odyssey) will play Second Lieutenant Koskela, and Aku Hirviniemi (Finland’s Saturday Night Live) will play Corporal Hietanen.

The production...

Exclusive: Films by Petri Kotwica and Jan Prusinovský are among four new titles acquired by Media Luna New Films ahead of next week’s Cannes Marché.

The first new addition to Media Luna’s sales line-up is Petri Kotwica’s Finnish-Irish drama Absolution, starring Laura Birn (A Walk Among The Tombstones), Mari Rantasila and Eero Aho.

Also new to the slate is Dutch filmmaker Joost van Ginkel’s Amsterdam-set drama The Paradise Suite, with Magnus Krepper (The Girl Who Played With Fire), and Slovenian Blaz Zavrsnik’s comedy Juliet And Alfa Romeo.

The final new addition is Czech director Jan Prusinovský’s local box-office hit The Snake Brothers with Kryštof Hádek and Matěj Hádek.

Ida Martins’ Cologne-based outfit is also handling international sales for veteran director Stijn Coninx’s feelgood drama Marina, based on the childhood memories of the Italian-Belgian singer Rocco Granata, which has been selected for the Cannes Écrans Juniors competition this year.

Global Screen...

Things promise to get rather dark in upcoming Finnish crime drama 8 Ball. A multi faceted affairdirected by Aku Louhimies and backed by Blind Spot Pictures (Iron Sky), 8 Ball looks to be a more encompassing view of the narcotic underground than normal, one that includes not only gangsters and guns but also addicts and their families in a package that promises to be edgy and provocative in a way we haven't seen out of the region since the Pusher films and Ole Christian Madsen's Angels In Fast Motion (Nordkraft). Jessica Grabowsky, Eero Aho, Pirkka-Pekka Petelius, and Mikko Leppilampi star.We ran the first teaser for this one back in October but now a full trailer has arrived. Take a look below....

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