Jarkko T. Laine

An overweight boy who was a bullied at school grew up to become a beloved comedian, folk artist Jope Ruonansuu. He was a versatile entertainer, but above all an impressionist, able to imitate more than 150 characters from the ruling class. Jope's journey was a natural extension of the post-war "Rillumarei" -culture. He broke through when the monoculturalism was at its most vibrant and grew in popularity as it began to crumble. With weight loss surgery, Jope sought a healthier life, but also to shed the extra pounds and childhood traumas. After the surgery, he was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer, but continued to fight, developing a number of different projects, including an anti-bullying campaign together with the President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö. The project was to culminate in a joint visit to Syväkangas school, in Jope's home town of Kemi. Jope passed away before then, but Niinistö kept his promise.

Our premise is that work has become an act of self-sabotage. Empty corporate jargon, ever-changing management fashions and self-serving bureaucracy masquerading as efficiency hijacked the purpose of work. Creative documentary The Happy Worker will show how we got to this point and the very human behavior that led us here. We want to show how this unhealthy system is maintained and what keeps us from calling bullshit.

The dance film When the Night Falls tells the story of a woman fleeing the horrors of a collapsing society in the near future. Along the way, she encounters people on whose trust her entire future depends on.

12 year old Tinja is desperate to please her mother, a woman obsessed with presenting the image of a perfect family. One night, Tinja finds a strange egg. What hatches is beyond belief.

Documentary film about love, relationships and sexuality of elderly men and women. Five couples show how intimacy is still strong even though age and body has changed.

Through the eyes of two 12-year-old boys, the sexual revolution arrives in a conservative and religious small town in Northern Finland.

The film in its entirety is set in the forest: the protagonists sleep under spruce trees, make art, hunt with their dogs, hold techno raves in the summer night and earn their living as forest owners. As the film progresses, one gains a more versatile view of the forest as a biological organism, a spiritual retreat for humans, a source of inspiration and as a complete living environment supporting us all.

A young woman raised in the US returns to her birth country in Eastern Europe after a devastating tragedy. Questioning her sanity and her sexuality, she starts believing she possesses supernatural powers.

Marja (Minka Kuustonen) is a blogger. Olavi is one of the richest men in the country. She might be able to save her blog if she dates him, but what if she falls for him for real?

Director Saija Mäki-Nevala was born in Kihniö but moved away as soon as it became possible. The village road with few buildings, and faces that were all to familiar to her, wasn’t enough. The real life and the possibilities of achieving dreams seemed to be somewhere else. After 18 years she goes back to look at Kihniö. She observes the ex-home village with feelings between love and foreignness. Is Kihniö more than its inhabitants? Is Kihniö just a name for the roots which we can’t either choose or forget? This observational documentary is a portrait of silent village, but the main role still belongs to its people. They are proud of living in a safe place where they all know each other. The most important goals in life are to have a permanent job and to own a house. When they achieve those things and can have their family around, everything is just fine. You don’t need anything else.

The leisurely environment of an almost lethargic horsetrack provides a superb setting to Jarkko T. Laine and J-P Passi's Ajomie. The filmmakers have bravely left their story - centring on a trackmaster (Matti Laine) caught between two women - clean of any superfluous modern frills. At home plans are being made for a shared future, while at the track's maintenance pit passions flare, and in no time the fumbling trackmaster finds himself at the centre of a slowly developing chaos. On top of everything he is plagued by that most Finnish of maladies: indecision.

The leisurely environment of an almost lethargic horsetrack provides a superb setting to Jarkko T. Laine and J-P Passi's Ajomie. The filmmakers have bravely left their story - centring on a trackmaster (Matti Laine) caught between two women - clean of any superfluous modern frills. At home plans are being made for a shared future, while at the track's maintenance pit passions flare, and in no time the fumbling trackmaster finds himself at the centre of a slowly developing chaos. On top of everything he is plagued by that most Finnish of maladies: indecision.

The leisurely environment of an almost lethargic horsetrack provides a superb setting to Jarkko T. Laine and J-P Passi's Ajomie. The filmmakers have bravely left their story - centring on a trackmaster (Matti Laine) caught between two women - clean of any superfluous modern frills. At home plans are being made for a shared future, while at the track's maintenance pit passions flare, and in no time the fumbling trackmaster finds himself at the centre of a slowly developing chaos. On top of everything he is plagued by that most Finnish of maladies: indecision.

A simple can of ravioli propels this spectacular 30,000-kilometre, eight-country journey through all phases of food production and the far flung sources of international ingredients. A dream-like voyage with glimpses of disconcerting realities, the story begins with a single mother toiling in one of the biggest open pit mines in Brazil and ends on the shelf of a grocery store in Finland. Along the way, the workers whose calloused hands mine, raise and harvest each ingredient reveal their dreams and hopes, like the Danish pig farmer who loves his sows but longs for a girlfriend, and the Portuguese tomato picker who wants to stay healthy long enough to pay her daughters way through university. Sumptuous photography and impressive sound design make an eloquent statement about our modern, globalized world, making us aware of the hundreds of invisible people who prepare the food we eat every day. -Gisèle Gordon (HotDocs.ca)

A simple can of ravioli propels this spectacular 30,000-kilometre, eight-country journey through all phases of food production and the far flung sources of international ingredients. A dream-like voyage with glimpses of disconcerting realities, the story begins with a single mother toiling in one of the biggest open pit mines in Brazil and ends on the shelf of a grocery store in Finland. Along the way, the workers whose calloused hands mine, raise and harvest each ingredient reveal their dreams and hopes, like the Danish pig farmer who loves his sows but longs for a girlfriend, and the Portuguese tomato picker who wants to stay healthy long enough to pay her daughters way through university. Sumptuous photography and impressive sound design make an eloquent statement about our modern, globalized world, making us aware of the hundreds of invisible people who prepare the food we eat every day. -Gisèle Gordon (HotDocs.ca)

Sixpack is a positive story on the outskirts of society. The story takes place in Helsinki on rock and following the advent of exclusion of the story regarding one of summer days. The film's protagonist, Marshal, is stuck in a shabby home. Lihi and Henninen attract the Marshal out and tired of opposition after the Marshal finds them to spend a hot summer day in the park in the world with amazement. The trio crash -day pass to the young, rutjakkeisiin sense of humor to the police. Day lasts from early morning until the evening the rain to bring sorrow alhoon. Eventually, however, the sun began to rise again it's time to become sensitized and look deep into the eyes of friendship.

Mati, a 70-year-old bibliophile, cannot cope with his wife's death. As loneliness and indifference overrun his thoughts, he contemplates suicide until he meets a younger man who sparks his interest in life.

Recovering from a nail gun shot to the head and 13 months of coma, doctor Pekka Valinta starts to unravel the mystery of his past, still suffering from total amnesia.

Remu grew up in modest conditions. He dropped out from schoold during his teen age years and is making career as a small time criminal. His family's destiny is about to come true, and it's going to be the usual: jail, alcoholism and violent death. After learning about rock music Remu learns to play drums and pushes himself into different bands. His first time in jails interrupts his music career, but after being released he starts his own band; Hurriganes.

Sweden 1951. A new society is developing, a society where there is no room for the socially and mentally weak...

The fate of a culture lies on the shoulders of few determined individuals.

Kummelin Jackpot, was released in February 2006. It was about a divorced man portrayed by Silvennoinen, who realises a way to trick himself a jackpot in football betting.

Pete is a football enthusiast, who plays as a goalkeeper for FC HeMan, a team playing in the lowest possible league. His girlfriend, Anna, hates the whole sport. Pete and his teammates are planning to travel to watch the Football World Cup held in Germany. Anna is not excited about Pete's plan to leave her alone for the summer. Therefore Anna decides to present a challenge to Pete: She will form a team from the wives and girlfriends of the FC HeMan players, and then the women's team (FC Venus) would play against FC HeMan. If the women's team wins, the men will have to give up football, and if the men's team wins, the women will never complain about their hobby.

1943: Nine-year-old Eero whose father is killed during the war is brought to Sweden to foster parents to his protection like thousands of other Finnish children. Eero feels lost, particularly as his foster mother Signe behaves very unfriendly. She was expecting a little girl and still mourns for her daughter who drowned in the sea.

Taavi,the enigmatic 18-year-old lead, has just inherited his long-deceased wealthy parents home and estate. It is high school graduation and Taavi's birthday, and after his fiends greet him au natural and are arrested, Taavi invites his friends to the mansion for a wild party. Taavi lives with a recording camera to his eye, a machine that allows his to keep interpersonal distance from everyone. Among his friends are Jere who considers himself a woman's man, Markus (who appears the well-adjusted one, and chubby, pierced Sami whose sexuality is ambiguous. The party gets wild, guests sleep around, and Taavi records it all!

In rural Sweden of the early 1950s, little Elina goes to school again after recovering from tuberculosis, the same illness that has killed her father a few years earlier. Elina's family belongs to Finnish-speaking Finns frowned upon by a staunch schoolmistress who starts hounding Elina for questioning her authority. Elina's mother, sister, and a liberal young male teacher all try to mediate the ensuing battle of wills between Elina and Miss Holm. Elina finds consolation in wandering out on the dangerous marshlands to have imaginary conversations with her dead father. Written by Markku Kuoppamäki

Live concert by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. It was recorded in Tampere, Finland on 29 December 2000. Setlist: 1. The Kinslayer / 2. She Is My Sin / 3. Deep Silent Complete / 4. The Pharaoh Sails to Orion / 5. Come Cover Me / 6. Wanderlust / 7. Instrumental (Crimson Tide/Deep Blue Sea) / 8. Swanheart / 9. Elvenpath / 10. FantasMic (Part 3) / 11. Dead Boy's Poem / 12. Sacrament of Wilderness / 13. Walking in the Air / 14. Beauty & the Beast / 15. Wishmaster.