A new boom in the Finnish cinema

TEXT KIMMO AHONEN & JUHA ROSENQUIST, PHOTO THE FINNISH FILM ARCHIVE

The turn of the new century marked a boom period for Finnish films. The success could be seen both in increased film production and, specifically, in the significant rise in attendance figures.

Almost half a million people saw Aki Kaurismäki´s Drifting clouds in 1996. The Man Without a Past won the Grand Prix at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.

The general public has found its way back to the box office to see new Finnish films. This has not merely benefited a few major productions, but also a large number of very diverse films. The three-year period between 1999 and 2001 has entered the record books as one of the most productive times in Finnish film history, with the number of feature films and documentaries in distribution totalling 62. The year 1999 in particular proved to be a miraculous year: in the first three months alone, almost a million people had gone to see new Finnish films. What, however, does the boom in the Finnish cinema imply, and what are the factors that made it possible?

The status of the Finnish cinema and its public image are distinctly different from what they were ten years ago. The economic recession of the early 1990s had a drastic effect on the film industry. As far as attendance figures and the general production atmosphere were concerned, the period was nothing short of dismal. The nadir was reached when tabloid papers began to write about the slump in domestic film production and to calculate how much of the taxpayers' money was being squandered to subsidise films. However, the industry did recover from this slump, with success finally culminating around the year 2000.

‘Art’ vs. ‘entertainment’

Economic recovery enabled a significant increase in subsidies after the mid-1990s. It became evident that, in a small market such as Finland, film production cannot prosper without public funding. As late as the 1980s, much of the funding was doled out to productions that were considered to have no commercial prospects.

In the 1990s, however, the notion of subsidies totally changed: funding is no longer allocated only to socalled art films that have a very narrow audience base, but to all films, including those that may become box-office hits. In fact, one of the reasons for the boom is the abandonment of the terms 'art' and 'entertainment', which were previously regarded as polar opposites. Now the most important aspect is to provide for film culture as a whole, in which even lightweight entertainment serves a specific function.

Another important factor for the growth in the late 1990s is undoubtedly the development and increasing popularity of Finnish soap operas. TV productions have offered increased job opportunities, through which film crews have gained valuable experience. At the same time, young filmmakers have been able to combine national themes with Hollywood- style narrative techniques. Then, by casting actors who are popular among teenagers, the blueprint for making a box-office hit was discovered. On the one hand, viewers and critics who have been reared on television and Hollywood action were now given a shared cinematic language, and on the other, the older audience members still find the national themes very appealing. Finally, the publicity value of the Finnish cinema was utilised in a novel way, and as a result of Hollywood-style marketing, film premieres have become national media events.

From rural pics to relationship dramas

At times, the enthusiasm for the boom in the Finnish cinema has been excessive, so that it runs the risk of turning into an exaggerated marketing spiel. After all, the current success is not unique in the history of national film production. During the genuine golden age of Finnish cinema, between the 1930s and 1950s, even box-office failures could attract audiences as wide as the major blockbusters of today. Therefore, it is only fair to ask whether the recent boom offers anything new in terms of content to the Finnish cinema, or if the mainstream film production is merely imitating American narratives.

The recent boom cannot be traced back to a single film or filmmaker. Although the success peaked around 2000, the first steps on that road were taken in the early 1990s when the nostalgia-evoking hit films of director Markku Pölönen blazed the trail for others. In all, themes that deal with Finland's recent past and the Second World War have been strongly represented in the contemporary cinema. Depictions of rural societies, for instance, appeal to the general public, which still remembers rural depopulation and the subsequent urbanisation of Finnish society in the 1950s. Finnish war films, on the other hand, have traditionally depicted a collective group of men, but have lately examined war from the standpoint of individuals, emotions or the home front. Another popular theme has been the depiction of ‘great men’, nostalgic insights into popular culture, films that paint an affectionate picture of the colourful lives of pop and rock musicians. Lightweight relationship dramas intended for young people have also been successful.

However, the success of these movies has paved the way for films that deal with loftier social issues, such as Jarmo Lampela's body of work. Therefore, the public is obviously interested in a wide variety of films, both artistically ambitious projects and dramas with sheer entertainment value.

Drifting on cloud nine

On the whole, the success of the Finnish cinema has been confined to our own linguistic and cultural area, as is typical with any national film industry. The only well-known Finnish filmmakers beyond our borders are the Kaurismäki brothers, Aki in particular. The success of Aki Kaurismäki is, in fact, one of the key factors that have contributed to the recent boom in the Finnish cinema. His widespread popularity has demonstrated that even international audiences can find Finnish themes appealing.

Kaurismäki's minimalist films already garnered attention in the 1980s, and he established an avid group of followers even when the general public in Finland did not show great interest in his films. While only 55,000 people saw Drifting Clouds (Kauas pilvet karkaavat, 1996) in Finland, almost 400,000 went to see it across Europe. It was not until The Man Without a Past (Mies vailla menneisyyttä, 2002) won the Grand Prix at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, and received an Oscar nomination the following year, that the film made its mark on the Finnish box office. Now Kaurismäki is regarded as a driving force behind the Finnish cinema, although his films used to be considered difficult or too arty

In conclusion, it may not be particularly accurate to talk about a collective boom for the Finnish cinema. The recent growth has, in fact, more to do with the success of a diverse group of individual films, which are all aimed at different segments of the audience.

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