makers08 040_091.qxp_Layout 1 24/11/2021 20:29 Page 68
FINLAND destination cool
Finland is one of Scandinavia’s go-to destinations for ice, snow and expansive forests and lake landscapes. Established as a production base, locals know how to work with international crews in such conditions, and incoming productions can access a 25% cash rebate.
inland is an increasingly popular filming destination, with competent English speaking crews and four film commissions covering the country.
South Finland has the largest cities as well as lakes, forests and the archipelago region, while north Finland has more wilderness areas, as well as industrial settings and can guarantee snow during the winter, as well as the famed “midnight sun” during the summer months.
Although Lapland encompasses the northerly part of a number of Scandinavian countries, Finnish Lapland is one of the most built up destinations for filming. In addition to numerous documentary, factual and reality shoots, some of the biggest incoming scripted “in laTe 2020 DUAL productions to date have taken became The firsT place in the region, including hollywood Hindi action thriller War which feaTure To shooT shot an electrifying car chase on a enTirely in The frozen lake and through a snowy forest close to Rovaniemi, counTry, despiTe Lapland’s largest city. Advertising noT originally campaigns such as Coca-Cola’s inTending To shooT First Time Seeing Snow There unTil covid Christmas campaign and Audi affecTed plans.” R8’s Snow have also come to capture the magic. Finland’s 25% cash rebate has also attracted larger projects to the country, and covers feature and documentary films, scripted TV drama and animation. Minimum spend increases depending on 68
lOcaTiOn HiGHliGHT
Rautuvaara Mine, Kolari
Kolari sits in a valley along the border between Finnish and Swedish Lapland and is home to Finland’s popular Seven Fells national park and the country’s largest ski resport Ylläs. The municipality has been a centre for iron, copper and limestone for centuries. From the late 1960s to the end of the 1980s the Rautuvaara Mine was at the heart of a booming mining industry. Today the mine is run-down but constructions, including a tall mining tower, an enrichment plant and neglected railway tracks are still in place. The Finnish-Estonian-Dutch co-production The Last Ones by director Vieko Õunpuu shot at the site, as well as other locations in Finnish Lapland. Set in a small mining village which is full of tensions between local reindeer herders and miners, the film asks what is the worth of the Arctic lands. Set in a harsh and secluded area, the mine fits the tone of the film. Tundra landscapes of Lapland also helped set the scene.
