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.
The August newsletter highlights the strong international visibility of Finland’s film and television industry at festivals, development programmes and co-production events. Hanna Bergholm’s Nightborn achieved a major double victory at the Fantasia festival, winning Best Film while Seidi Haarla received the award for Outstanding Performance. Bock Saga, Pikkuli and Starlight Reindeer and Kronos Kairos also reached new international markets through distribution and sales deals. In addition, projects involving Finnish filmmakers, including TJ28, Exchange, ALMA, Chasing the Clouds and Árru, attracted attention around the world.
1. Short news about Finnish films and TV series in July 2026
Filmmakers Yasmin Najjar and Roosa Vuokkola have been selected by Nordisk Film & TV Fond for Nordic Talents 2026 with their graduation projects 28 days left (TJ28) and Exchange. The annual Copenhagen event presents ten promising Nordic film and television projects to international producers, financiers and other industry professionals.
Rovio has released the first trailer for The Angry Birds Movie 3, which sees Red facing his biggest challenge yet: raising three children. Featuring returning voices including Jason Sudeikis and Josh Gad alongside several new cast members, the film will arrive in cinemas on December 23, 2026.
Director Pete Riski and producer Pauliina Piipponen presented the supernatural action thriller ALMA by Making Movies at the CineCoPro co-production event during the Munich Film Festival. Set partly in wartime Lapland, the project is seeking German and other international partners for its ambitious combination of historical drama, supernatural action and transmedia storytelling.
The Croatian-Finnish series project Chasing the Clouds has been selected for the CineLink Drama programme at the Sarajevo Film Festival. Created by Karla Lulić and Jelena Mađarić, the youth drama explores identity, violence and substance use after a teenage party ends in tragedy.
Elle Sofe Sara’s Sámi drama Árru has received strong critical attention during its Australian screenings, including a four-star review in The Australian. The Norwegian-Swedish-Finnish co-production involves Finnish producer Jani Pösö and Helsinki- and London-based sales company The Yellow Affair.
2. Nightborn wins Fantasia’s top prize as Seidi Haarla Takes Acting Award
Hanna Bergholm’s Nightborn (Yön lapsi) won the coveted Cheval Noir Trophy for Best Film at Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival, one of North America’s leading genre film events. Lead actress Seidi Haarla was also honoured with the Cheval Noir Award for Outstanding Performance for her portrayal of a new mother who begins to suspect that there is something deeply unsettling about her baby. The double victory followed the Finnish-led co-production’s North American premiere in Fantasia’s main competition. The dark folk-horror drama has already competed at the Berlinale and won the Silver Méliès award in Brussels, with theatrical releases rolling out across several international markets.
3. Bock Saga lands global distributor and Nordic buyers
Barcelona- and London-based Limonero Films has acquired the worldwide distribution rights to Bock Saga, a four-part documentary series produced by Parad Media. The series explores the extraordinary story of Finnish mystic Ior Bock and his controversial teachings. Ahead of its Finnish premiere on Yle in July, the series had already been acquired by Norway’s NRK, Sweden’s SVT and Denmark’s DR. It was also presented to international buyers at Sunny Side of the Doc, giving this distinctive Finnish story a strong platform for reaching new markets worldwide.
4. French sales company takes on distribution of Pikkuli film
French sales company Dandelooo Cinéma has acquired the international distribution rights to the animated feature film Pikkuli and Starlight Reindeer (Pikkuli ja Tähtipeura). Produced by AittoFlow and Filmkompaniet, the family film expands the world of the popular Pikkuli television series, which has already been shown in more than 40 territories all over the world. The film follows the small bird Pikkuli on a new adventure connected to a mysterious reindeer and the magic of the northern skies. A Finnish theatrical release is planned for October 2026, while French distributor Gebeka Films is preparing a Christmas 2027 release in France.
5. Kronos Kairos secures Japanese theatrical release
Finnish musician and filmmaker Frank Mäntymäki’s surreal black-and-white film Kronos Kairos will premiere at Tokyo’s Uplink Kichijoji cinema on September 11, 2026. In Finland, Mäntymäki is better known by his stage name, Herra Ylppö. The film will also receive a staggered theatrical release in other cinemas across Japan. The distribution deal emerged organically after a visiting Japanese film group discovered the film in Finland and introduced it to local industry contacts, who were drawn to its distinctive visual style, sound design and symbolism. Shot in a small Andalusian mountain village with almost no external financing, the film was written, directed, filmed and edited largely by Mäntymäki with the help of friends.