This newsletter shares the good news of the Finnish films and TV series once a month. The content is intended to be an interesting news roundup both for separate newsletter subscribers and for media representatives interested in films and TV series.
March 2026 highlighted Finnish expertise in film and television, particularly in directing, acting, and documentary filmmaking. Finnish documentary movies are on the rise, with several compelling productions on the way and many released films receiving awards at industry events. At the same time, funding structures are evolving as private capital increasingly complements public support. The Jussi Awards (=Finnish Oscars) honored the films and creators of 2025, whose significance continues to grow on the international stage.
1. Short news about Finnish films and TV series in March 2026
At the Tampere Film Festival, the main prize in the national competition for films under 30 minutes was awarded to Risto-Pekka Blom’s documentary Too Blue a Sky. In the category for films over 30 minutes, the main national award went to Jukka Kärkkäinen’s documentary The Beauty of Errors.
Jalmari Helander, known for his Sisu films, is directing a movie set in the early years of the popular Rambo character. The film tells the story of John Rambo as a Green Beret special forces soldier during the Vietnam War. It was confirmed in March that one of the producers is Sylvester Stallone, who portrayed the original Rambo.
Franco-Finnish actress Nadia Tereszkiewicz is rapidly rising in her career. Her latest role is in the fourth season of the popular TV series The White Lotus. She was also awarded the César Award for Most Promising Actress in 2022.
16mm film Pyhä Magic Montage by Aarni Toivianen was released online in early March. Before its online release, the film, shot over two winters in Pyhätunturi, had already toured film festivals in Finland, France, and Hungary.
The Finnish Film Foundation is funding film and series productions with €4.8 million. This includes seven feature films, three documentaries, three short films, and one animated series.
Laura Birn has become one of Finland’s most internationally recognized stars thanks to the TV series Foundation. Partly as a result, she will next appear in an upcoming film by Spanish director Rodrigo Sorogoyen, alongside Javier Bardem.
Sean Ricks is directing a documentary about top-level skier Mika Myllylä. Known as a multiple Olympic medalist, Myllylä later became involved in a doping scandal. The documentary about his story is set for distribution in at least Finland and Sweden in 2027.
The Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival featured a strong presence of Nordic productions. One of the most notable was Soap Fever, directed by Inka Achté, which closed the event. The film offers a colorful portrayal of the phenomenon surrounding a TV series The Bold and the Beautiful in Finland.
Production of the action thriller All Day & All Night will begin later this year, with financing from the Finnish-founded IPR.VC. Directed by Tommy Wirkola, the film stars Josh Hartnett, Kumail Nanjiani, and John Leguizamo.
Helsinki-based The Yellow Affair has acquired distribution rights to the Sámi-language drama Je’Vida, directed and written by Finnish Skolt Sámi filmmaker Katja Gauriloff. The film tells the story of the mistreatment of the Sámi people after World War II.
2. The prestigious Risto Jarva Prize awarded to documentary films by Jukka Kärkkäinen
The Risto Jarva Prize, worth €10,000 and awarded by the Finnish Film Foundation, was granted to two documentary films by Jukka Kärkkäinen. These are the short documentary The Beauty of Automobiles and the feature-length film The Beauty of Errors. The international premiere of The Beauty of Errors took place in Greece at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival. The main purpose of the prize is to discover new, fresh ideas and perspectives in Finnish cinema.
3. The role of private financing in film and TV is growing alongside public funding
At the European Film Market in Berlin, discussions highlighted the increasing importance of private financing as part of film and TV productions. In connection with the topic, Nordisk Film & TV Fond published insights on raising financing from Timo Argillander of the Finnish-rooted investment company IPR.VC. Instead of focusing on individual projects, the company concentrates on building broader portfolios to which funding is raised, enabling their development and advancement. With this model, the company is not dependent on the success of individual films or TV productions, but the overall portfolio determines the outcome.
4. The Secret Reading Club of Kabul documentary won the NORDIC:DOX main prize
At the CPH:DOX festival in Copenhagen, the documentary The Secret Reading Club of Kabul, directed by Shakiba Adil and Elina Hirvonen, was awarded the main prize in the Nordic NORDIC:DOX competition. The film tells the story of a group of Afghan women who defy an ultra-conservative regime by reading The Diary of Anne Frank together. According to the jury, the film demonstrates how cinema can make injustices visible and give a voice to oppressed citizens. The documentary was produced by Pauliina Piipponen and Marko Talli for Yellow Film & TV.
5. The Jussi Awards (=Finnish Oscars) were presented to the best Finnish films of 2025
At the annual Jussi Gala, often referred to as the Finnish Oscars, the most important awards in Finnish cinema were presented. This year, a new award for international breakthrough was introduced for the first time, and it was awarded to director Jalmari Helander. According to the jury, his Sisu films have established him as a major figure in the international directing scene. The most awards were won by A Light That Never Goes Out, a drama film directed by Lauri-Matti Parppei. The film received a total of seven Jussi Awards, including Best Film of the Year. The top honor was presented by the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb.