Finland

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 productions to date have taken place in the region, including Hindi action thriller War which shot an electrifying car chase on a frozen lake and through a snowy forest close to Rovaniemi, Lapland’s largest city. Advertising

“in laTe 2020 DUAL became The firsT hollywood feaTure To shooT enTirely in The counTry, despiTe noT originally inTending To shooT There unTil covid affecTed plans.” campaigns such as Coca-Cola’s First Time Seeing Snow Christmas campaign and Audi 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

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.

finland’s 25% cash rebaTe has also aTTracTed larger projecTs To The counTry, and covers feaTure and documenTary films, scripTed Tv drama and animaTion.

SOMETHinG ElSE

Finland climbed the ranks of the Digital Quality of Life Index (DQL) to place 3rd after Denmark and South Korea, having come 11th in 2020. The importance of digital life was highlighted by the pandemic, and the index evaluates nations based on five digital wellbeing pillars across internet affordability, e-infrastructure, e-government, e-security and internet quality.

Cybersecurity firm Surfshark are behind the DQL. CEO Vytautas Kaziukonis says: “Digital opportunities have proved to be more important than ever during the Covid-19 crisis, stressing the importance for every country to ensure fully remote operational capacities for their economies…The index sets the basis for meaningful discussions about how digital advancement impacts a county’s prosperity and where improvements can be made.”

110 countries were included, and Finland excelled in categories including affordability, e-infrastructure and e-government but ranked 27th on quality of internet. the type of production but feature films must spend EUR150,000 in the country, and the total production budget must be EUR2.5 million and have a distribution agreement. Some regions also offer their own rebate, such as Tampere, which offers a 10% cash rebate for the production’s total budget spent in the region, including planning and postproduction.

The rebate, locations and relative success during the Covid pandemic attracted satirical sci-fi thriller Dual, starring Karen Gillan, Jesse Eisenberg and Aaron Paul to Finland. In late 2020 it became the first Hollywood feature to shoot entirely in the country, despite not originally intending to shoot there until Covid affected plans.

Writer, producer and director Riley Stearns explains: “XYZ Films and I had been looking at the Pacific Northwest, specifically Seattle and Portland but the pandemic changed things. We weighed our options for months, considering various other parts of the United States and Canada, but it was near the peak of the pandemic and case counts were high everywhere. Just when it looked like we may have to push our shoot, our financing partners IPR VC in Helsinki brought up the idea of shooting in Finland. Not only had the country intelligently navigated the pandemic but they also have world class crews, equipment and facilities. It quickly became apparent that Finland and specifically Tampere would be the ideal shooting location for Dual.”

The shoot took place in Tampere where the city’s unique architecture, such as Metso Library fits into the sci-fi world of Dual, and Finland’s abundance of Forests were used for some pivotal scenes.

“One of the things we realized as soon as we started location scouting was that the city of Tampere was extremely supportive of us and helping us secure any location we needed,” says Stearns. “Being an indie filmmaker who had only shot in the US up to this point, I didn’t believe we could actually afford to shoot there. It required shutting it down to the public for several hours but every time I thought something was impossible, my Finnish producers at Film Service Finland and our location manager were able to make it happen. The added production value we got by shooting in Finland was immense.” One example of added value was in location moves in the city: “In Tampere our moves were the fastest I’d ever experienced. And with as many locations as we had, that time was invaluable.” Stearn adds, “There’s a Finnish term called “sisu” which roughly translates to “grit” - and the Dual crew had it in spades.”