The selected projects for the seventh edition of the Finnish Film Affair, an industry event taking place during the Helsinki International Film Festival Love & Anarchy (20-30 September 2018), will be pitched at the Works in Progress showcase on 26 September in Helsinki, in front of Finnish and international guests. The selection comprises fiction films and documentaries in development or in production that are still looking for financing, sales agents or co-producers. “I am very excited about opening the pitching showcase to international projects this year,” says Laura Laaksonen, who has been head of Industry since 2015. “The call for submissions ends on 31 May, and we hope to have a very compelling selection for our guests in September.”

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Ever since its inception in 2012, more than 300 film-industry professionals have attended the event every year. At past editions, the Finnish Film Affair has hosted festival programmers from the Directors’ Fortnight, Sundance and Edinburgh, as well as representatives of Wild Bunch, The Match Factory, Memento Films International, XYZ Films, Films Boutique and HBO Europe, to name but a few. Among the Finnish titles that have previously been presented during the Works in Progress showcase are Timo Vuorensola’s Iron Sky: The Coming Race, Selma Vilhunen’s Little Wing [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], nominated for the Nordic Council Film Prize, Juho Kuosmanen’s multiple award-winning The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki [+lire aussi :
critique
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interview : Juho Kuosmanen
fiche film], and The Fencer [+lire aussi :
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interview : Ivo Felt
fiche film] by Klaus Härö, nominated for a Golden Globe. 

This year’s edition will also see the unveiling of the second Nordic Flair programme, after its launch in 2017. Apart from honouring an international star with the Nordic Flair Award (last year it went to Danish actor Pilou Asbaek, known for his work in Game of Thrones), casting directors from Nordic countries, Germany and the UK will come to Helsinki to meet with the actors. So far, confirmed guests include Debbie McWilliams, casting director for Casino Royale [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], Tanja Grunwald (The Square [+lire aussi :
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interview : Ruben Östlund
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interview : Paco Delgado
fiche film]’s Anja Philip, Tusse Lande (the Millennium trilogy), Jeannette Klintberg (Becoming Astrid [+lire aussi :
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interview : Alba August
interview : Pernille Fischer Christensen
fiche film]), My Skinny Sister [+lire aussi :
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interview : Sanna Lenken
fiche film]’s Catrin Wideryd, Cornelia von Braun (Return to Montauk [+lire aussi :
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fiche film]), Ellen Sofie Michelsen (Norsemen) and Alex Johnson, who worked on The Pianist [+lire aussi :
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fiche film].

“The huge number of applications proves that there is a need for a programme like this,” underlines Laaksonen. “Many Nordic actors are very interested in international work opportunities, and we have been thrilled to see so many success stories in recent years.” Still, this won’t be the final change for the Finnish initiative. “It’s a bit of a challenging year for us, since I will be stepping down in July to start my maternity leave. However, we are delighted to announce that Roosa Toivonen will be taking over for the duration of my leave. She brings a lot of experience and flair to the team.”

The Finnish Film Affair will take place from 25-27 September.