Keep it Cool – Film in Finland
Finland: a land branded by the elements and characterized by its history of hardship. A magical place – sparsely peopled, the ferocity of the Polar domain ever present at its crown and thus forming a creative stimulus roused out of pristine survival. Precisely at the middle point between the northern and southernmost tips of the country, facing out from the shores of the west, flat against the torrent of the Bothnian Bay winds, lies Oulu. The city emits a diverse atmosphere of artistry, culture, innovative technology – all highlighted by an identity of compassion, candor and conviction. It is this inimitable amalgam of personality and setting that sets our material for media apart from the rest: stories that form the tantalizing persona of an industry underdog. Here and now, we are ready to humbly brandish what we have long kept to ourselves – to the audiences of the world. This event is but a small window into our world: a chance to sit in our circle for a moment, hear the stories from the mouths of our industry production professionals and bask in our ambiance as we take firm strides into the spotlight.
presented by The North Finland Film Commission
Speakers
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Mika RonkainenScriptwriter/DirectorMika Ronkainen is an award-winning film director and screenwriter from northern Finland. He started directing documentary films at the age of 26. After having created internationally successful documentary films that premiered at international film festivals like Sundance, Tribeca Film Festival, IDFA, and Karlovy Vary, Ronkainen ventured into the world of scripted drama in 2017.
Ronkainen’s latest work, psychological crime drama TV series All the Sins which he directed and co-created with Venla Aakko, has been highly successful both in his native country and around the world. The third and final season of All the Sins will be released in late 2022. -
Antti KaarlelaExecutive Producer, WhatevergroupAntti Kaarlela is a Northern Finland based producer, screenwriter and former actor. In 2011 he co-founded the Oulu based film and television production company: Whatevergroup, transitioning into the role of CEO in 2017. The company’s latest productions include the Elisa Viihde Original series and MipDrama official selection Evilside and of the first ever Finnish cMore original feature film Roi The One And Only. Antti is an alumnus of Atlantic Theatre Company in NYC, Quantic School of Business and Technology in Washington DC and the University of Oulu.
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Teemu HostikkaFounder, Executive Creative Director, NTRNZ media LtdTeemu Hostikka is founder and main-owner of NTRNZ media ltd located in Oulu Finland. He is a full time showrunner, creating and producing new audiovisual concepts and formats for international markets. His series have been nominated twelve times and won four times in Golden Venla Gala in Finland. Latest production “Untold Arctic Wars” was jury’s choice in Berlin International TV-Series festival and won the Best History-Documentary category in Worlds Media Awards in Hamburg.
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Naida ValenciaMarketing Manager, WhatevergroupNaida Valencia originally hails from the West Coast of the US, but holds a strong identity within her Chilean and Colombian heritage. A theater virtuoso from the age of 9, she attended The Northwest School of the Arts, as well as the acting division of UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television. Since then her career has been an eclectic mixture of marketing, management, writing, event planning and overall industry involvement. She currently works as a marketing manager for Whatevergroup, a production company in Northern Finland.
