Finnish Film Affair Closes 15th Edition With Record 630-Attendee Turnout

By Elena Vasquez

A record 630 industry attendees signed up for the 15th Finnish Film Affair, which wrapped last night inside Helsinki's Love & Anarchy Film Festival.

The four-day industry program facilitated 220 meetings between 45 participants. Across Love & Anarchy's 20-plus sections, 121 shorts and 136 films from 80 countries screened. Total festival attendance reached 50,000.

"Genre films and series are definitely on the rise, including in Finland where we do have a history of dark, quirky noirs," FFA director Lydia Taylerson said.

What did the new Finnish Film Foundation CEO bring?

Stuba Nikula, the foundation's new CEO, debuted Wednesday at FFA's panel stage. He confirmed the Finnish government's 2027 budget keeps industry support stable at €23 million ($26.2 million) annually.

Finland should soon collect €3.5 million to €7 million ($4 million to $8 million) under the EU's AVMS Directive, once Parliament passes the law "hopefully within a month." Funds reach producers in 2028.

Is Norway a model for Finnish producers?

Norwegian film support runs three times Finland's level, said Norwegian Film Institute representative Kjetil Omberg. Norway matches national funding with regional and equity investors.

Across the Nordics, "public funding is decreasing, deferrals from producers and partners in post is going up, while actual private money is not flowing," Omberg said. He pegged private equity at 1% of overall EU film investment.

Omberg urged indie producers to "be more responsible" and rethink single-project business models.

What happens when the EU Media Program ends?

The EU's 35-year-old Media Program concludes as audiovisual support merges in 2027 with culture and media spending under the Agora umbrella.

Industry leaders say the change requires aggressive lobbying to preserve film-specific protections. "Through our training programs, festivals, we contribute to the circulation of films," said Karlovy Vary head of industry Hugo Rosak. "We need to stick together and make sure the next EU program will be industry-specific to carry the goals and values of EU cinema," he added.

What did Hollywood executives teach indie producers?

A Variety-moderated franchise panel drew Danny Cannon ("CSI," "Gotham") and Jodi Hildebrand ("Marvel," "Condé Nast"). Their core advice: invest fully in first episodes.

"Don't hold back when you make a pilot — use everything you have, as you never know if you will get other seasons," Cannon said. Cannon also plans to direct Mediawan's Nordic noir series "The Faithful Reader," based on Finnish author Max Seeck's novels.

Where is the genre market heading?

Former XYZ Films acquisitions head Todd Brown told producers to abandon theatrical-first economics. "We've been told in film that theatrical, box office is the basis for our economics, but this is a complete utter lie," he said.

Brown called Pay1 windows — streamers, cable, broadcast — the new baseline, particularly as Gen Z consumes online. Producer Camille Gatin reminded filmmakers that "women are the ones deciding to go to the movies and they love horror."

Which films stood out?

Hanna Bergholm's horror "Nightborn" opened the festival. Elina Hirvonen and Shakiba Adil's documentary "The Secret Reading Club of Kabul" earned a standing ovation. Both won Best Nordic Film and Impact Film at Tuesday's Freya Awards.

Writer Ilja Rautsi, back from Austin's Fantastic Fest with dark comedy "Red Snow," described his timing as ideal. "I'm in the right time at the right place. It's a great feeling," he said.

Among 38 pitched projects, standout titles included Finnish comedy "The Campers," Nordic Genre Lab entries "Tick Fever" and "Linden Lane 6," plus documentaries "Mariana's Lament" and Virpi Suutari's "Lonesome Land."

London-based Altitude Film Sales managing director Mike Runagall said he will return annually. "I came eight years ago for a panel," Runagall said. "It's a real creative hub here," he added.

Searchlight's Sydney Brumfield agreed on project quality. "Finnish Film Affair organizers did an excellent job in selecting the projects because the quality was amazing," she said.

As Finland's public funding holds flat and EU restructuring reshapes support channels, FFA's record turnout points to industry confidence running ahead of policy clarity heading into 2027.