"200 Litres of Gold" Sequel Brews as Finland's Top 2025 Hit Returns

By Tom Whitfield

Finnish director Teemu Nikki will direct "200 Litres of Gold," a sequel to "100 Litres of Gold" — Finland's 2025 Oscar submission and the country's most-watched local film of last year.

The new chapter moves sisters Pirkko and Taina from a family wedding to the Finnish Sahti Championship. They now brew traditional farmhouse beer for competition, not ceremony.

"In the first one, the sisters were making sahti for their sister's wedding. Now, they are making it for the Finnish Sahti Championship," Nikki says. To win, he adds, they must "tolerate each other and overcome rival sahti makers — and their father."

What changes in the sequel?

Nikki pitches "200 Litres of Gold" as "a little bit darker, a little bit funnier and a little bit bigger." The sibling dynamic is "even more complex than before," he says, and a medical subplot surfaces.

"We find out that one of the sisters is not doing great; her liver has basically exploded," producer Jani Pösö says. "As in all our films, things get pretty serious in the end, even though it's fun."

The film works without the first, Pösö adds. "It's also totally independent, so you can watch it without having seen the first one. But the second one will make you want to watch the first one, and vice versa."

Who returns?

Elina Knihtilä and Pijo Lonka reprise the leads. Lonka frames the characters as "human" and "not one-dimensional."

"They're vulnerable, flawed and sometimes childlike. But with all their imperfections, you can relate to them and grow close to them," Lonka says. "Actors have to find a way to love the characters they play, and these women were easy to love."

She credits the script's range to Nikki. "It doesn't happen very often for women. It's great to show such a wide spectrum of emotions without holding back, and the person to thank for that is Teemu."

Who is the new rival?

Two female sahti makers from another village join the contest. "They are as crazy as our sisters. There's a lot of trash-talking and arm-wrestling," Nikki says.

What is the producing track record?

Nikki and Pösö run It's Alive Films. Their résumé includes "The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic," which collected an award at Venice, and "Euthanizer," the company's first Oscar submission. They also produced Naima Mohamud's "Halima."

The pair downplay sequel instincts. "We are not sequel guys," Pösö says, then paraphrases his director: "I'm thinking of this as 'The Godfather,' and 'The Godfather Part II' was better than the first one."

What about the U.S. version?

Writer Dennis Lehane is developing an American remake of "100 Litres of Gold," the team confirms. Pösö admits the original's run took him by surprise.

"It still feels a bit strange that it did so well. It's like we kept on hitting our heads against a wall until it finally collapsed," he says.

Is a third film likely?

Pösö leaves the door open. "With all franchises, there comes a moment when you need to stop. But a third one is certainly possible."

For It's Alive Films, the sequel will test whether the 2025 hit was a one-off — and whether Lehane's American version lands before Finnish audiences tire of sahti.