Laura Kuulasmaa: "Our focus is to develop educational material for content creators"

Audiovisual Producers Finland (APFI) is a trade association representing 120 independent Finnish production companies involved in the production of film, drama series, TV formats, documentaries, animation and commercial films. Committed with the environment, the Association has launched sustainable initiatives in the audiovisual production process. Laura Kuulasmaa, Executive Director at APFI dialogued exclusively with Señal News about these new ecological steps and explained how international producers can co-produce in the country.

What are the new initiatives being launched to reduce the environmental impact of production, per example the adoption of albert?
"Albert’s carbon footprint calculator is now available to use for all production companies in Finland, and hundreds of professionals have been trained already. This year, our focus is also on developing educational materials for content creators and writers on how to take sustainability issues into account when planning the content and in screenwriting. For example, this can involve using stories and TV as a platform to make sustainable choices more visible and mainstream for consumers, as well as making the content itself more sustainable and environmentally conscious."

What sort of productions are best suited to shooting in Finland from a sustainability point of view?
"Sustainability issues have to be planned for well in advance, so it is important to consider these things in the early stages when planning the production. Finns are known to be innovative, so the local service companies can most likely help to solve any production and development challenges. Logistics usually generates the biggest share of carbon footprint contribution, so productions on which local crews can be used are always more sustainable. For example, during the pandemic period, directing has been done from distance, and this sort of set up could be experimented with outside of the pandemic, when there’s need for only a very short shooting period. Finland has a large area to cover, so either studio productions or shootings focused on one area or with one particular type of scenery are less likely to generate emissions, as they reduce the need to travel. However, we have a good network of railway connections, directly from the airport, with zero emissions. And it’s easy to access recycled materials and also to recycle them again after the production."

Could you give me some examples of productions that have done in the country?
"We don’t have that many public examples yet, since we are still waiting for 2022 statistics to be released, but for example the film 'Dual' by XYZ was shot in Tampere region with local crew."

What the APFI’s ambitions are to push even further with its sustainability drive?
"In the next phase of our industry’s Strategy on Sustainability initiative, we aim to develop not only the ecological, but also the social, cultural, and economic issues that come up when producing content. For example, this includes projects on improving diversity in productions, both on and off camera, and researching and improving issues related to management and leadership skills as well as occupational wellbeing."

What is the current global potential of Nordic Noir content and the new prevalence of dark comedy in the genre?
"There seems to be a steady appetite for Nordic crime series around the world, but other genres like dramedies, comedies, fantasy, thrillers and horror have also started to travel. The dark comedy elements seem to work as a feature of the 'Finnish weird' – this is the quirky humour bringing lighter tones to the traditional Nordic Noir at the same time as the drama that it is known for. Interesting and outstanding, but at the same time relatable characters are always a key factor in successful concepts from the region."

BERLINALE 2023

APFI is bringing to Berlinale Film Festival 2023 a slate of new series. The association for Finnish production companies is also launching its Focus on Finland initiatives for the market, including a Nordic scripted comedy and drama panel.

The panel, called ‘Why So Series?’ is an official part of the Berlinale Series Market. It will take place at CinemaxX Theatre on Potsdamer Platz on Monday 20th February. The encounter will discuss how the much-beloved Nordic Noir has evolved, the new prevalence of dark comedy in the genre, and how the genre travels across territories. The panellists are: Writer Brendan Foley from ReelMedia; producer Jackie Larkin from Yellow Film & TV; Commissioner Arttu Nurmi (Modern Men, Dear Children and Song of My Life), YLE; Distribution Executive Jean-Michel Ciszewski (Bnei Aruba, The Grave, Black Space), Federation International; moderated by Marike Muselaers, Chief Content & Partnerships Officer, Lumiere Group.

The APFI series from the panelists being shopped at Berlinale will be "Mister8" (It’s Alive Films), "Stop Nyqvist" (YLE in-house productions), "The Man Who Died" (ReelMedia) and "66th North Precinct" (Yellow Film & TV), which have already delighted audiences across the world. Modern neo-Noir "Mister8" debuted in Canneseries 2021 and came home with two coveted prizes: Best Series and Best Performance. "Stop Nyqvist" was nominated for the Rose d’Or, while newcomers "The Man Who Died" and "66th North Precinct" are both distributed internationally and have already attracted wide interest.