Focus Finland

Most of us associate Finnish films with pensive, melancholy shots of abandoned heroes and empty vodka bottles. That’s the unmistakable atmosphere of films by the man who is probably the best known Finnish director, Aki Kaurismäki. As hard as it may be to believe, Finnish films are often much more colourful, even though melancholy and dark humour always seem to find their way in. The six films in this section represent contemporary short film production supported in part by the Finnish short film financing program Make it Short!, introduced in 2004 by the Finnish Film Foundation and other institutions. And as Finland has more than 187,888 lakes, the opening film should come as no surprise.