Exclusive: Wildlife documentary produced by France’ Borsalino Productions with Finland’s MRP Matila Röhr Productions, is sold by Gaumont International.

According to the French sales company, Guillaume Maidatchevsky ‘s film has been sold to Italy (IIF), Hungary (Romis), Poland (Kinoswiat), the Czech Republic and Slovakia (Cinemart), Greece (Odeon), former Yugoslavia (MCF Megacom), Japan (Gaga), and China (Linmon). A previous deal was closed with Ascot Elite for Germany/Switzerland and Gaumont will release it in France in February 2019. In Finland MRP Distribution plans a massive Christmas 2018 release for the family film.

Filmed in Finnish Lapland for more than a year, Ailo’s Journey is the odyssey of a new-born reindeer and his mother as they migrate across the Arctic, trying to survive the numerous predators and dangers.

The first footage of the stunning icy landscape and wildlife of Finnish Lapland was introduced in Cannes by the French and Finnish co-production partners, as well as Finland’s Minister for European Affairs, Culture and Sport, Sampo Terho.

“The film sector is booming in Finland and we have a unique wealth of talents and stories,” said Terho. The 25% tax rebate introduced to attract co-producers like Borsalino and Gaumont has been a great success as the number of co-productions is in constant growth; it has also helped the internationalisation of Finnish companies and promote tourism.”

Laurent Baudens and Laurent Flahault of Paris-based Borsalino Productions, said the talented and dedicated Finnish crew, Finland’s 25% tax rebates and support from the various Finnish co-financiers (including the Finnish Film Foundation, YLE, Visit Finland, Finnish Lapland Film Commission, House of Lapland) made it a no brainer for them to film in Finnish Lapland.

Producer Marko Röhr (Tale of a Lake, Tale of a Forest) said Ailo’s Journey is a ‘wildlife fairy-tale, a kind of Bambi meets Ice Age, with lots of emotion and humour’. “It’s been an interesting and demanding production in the most beautiful parts of Lapland, and a great collaboration between Finland and France. We expect this film to break in the worldwide market,” he added.

Röhr’s own upcoming documentary film Tale of the Sleeping Giants, third instalment in his natural tales trilogy, will also be filmed in Lapland’s mythical wilderness.