The Finnish production outfit boasts one of its strongest film slates in years and plans to go back into premium TV drama, Covid-19 permitting.

The leading production powerhouse has five to six films due to premiere and start production this year as well as two TV dramas. “If it wasn’t for Covid-19, everything would look extremely good,” said producer Markus Selin, joint-owner of Solar Films with Nordisk Film.

Solar Films is associated to popular mainstream cinema and churns out B.O. hits, year on year, took hold of 35% of the Finnish films market share in 2019. “That was less than in previous years,” claims Selin, recently awarded the Golden Medal of Merit from the Finnish Film Chamber of Films for his ‘significant contribution to the Finnish film industry’.

2020 kick started well for Solar Films with the comedy The Renovation (Se Mieletön Remppa), which opened February 19 and sold 156,000 tickets until the closure of Finnish cinemas March 18 due to Covid-19. “Exhibitors told us they would like to play the film again, once cinemas re-open [sometime in May], but this will depend on all films now waiting for distribution,” said Solar Films’ CEO and producer Jukka Helle to nordicfilmandtvnews.com.

Produced with Finland’s Don Films, The Renovation is a remake of the 2018 Norwegian comedy hit Norske byggeklosser (Opportunity Knocks), itself based on a classic from 1972. The Finnish version reunites director Taneli Mustonen and star comedian Sami Hedberg, both associated to Solar Films’ previous smash hits The Reunion (2015) and its sequel The Reunion 2 (2016), that together sold more than 800,000 tickets. The films are remakes of the Danish hits Klassefesten 1&2.

Two other crowd-pulling films are lined up for release later this year in Finland via Nordisk Film: 

  • Ricky Rapper and the Wrong Vincent is the eighth film in the successful kids’ franchise. The family film directed by Maria Sid is due to open in October.
  • Forest Giant by Ville Jankeri (Gold Digger) is based on Miika Nousiainen’s best-selling eponymous novel. The comedy drama is set in a small factory town in the mid-1980s and in the present day. Co-stars include Jussi Vatanen, Sara Soulié, Tommi Korpela and Hannes Suominen. The premiere is set for November.

Meanwhile two major feature projects are slated for production:

  • The Reunion 3 (Luokkakokous 3), third instalment in the comedy franchise starring Sami Hedberg, Aku Hirviniemi and radio host Jaajo Linnonmaa will be directed by heavyweight Renny Harlin, long-time friend to Selin. 

    Back in the mid-80s, the duo made history with their Finnish/US actioner Born American, released in more than 1,000 US screens, that became Harlin’s entry ticket in Hollywood. The director spent the next three decades in the US, directing films such as Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger, before moving to Beijing, China in 2014. “Renny is still based in Beijing but came to Finland mid-March, via Los-Angeles and is now working on the screen adaptation of The Reunion 3,” explained Selin to nordicfilmandtvnews.com. Filming is scheduled to start this summer, with a domestic release via Nordisk Film set for 2021. 
  • Yellow Sulphur Sky (Den svavelgula himlen) is directed by Claes Olsson based on Kjell Westö’s acclaimed novel. The Swedish-language film is a bittersweet tale about love and friendship, and how we are shaped by gender, class and the time we live in. Sweden’s Bright Moving Pictures, Germany’s Why Not Films (Germany) and Denmark’s Smile Entertainment are co-producing, with support among others from Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

    “We have filmed the winter part in January,” said Helle. “It wasn’t easy as there was practically no snow in Helsinki, so we had to get it from ice halls. But we managed to shoot nice winter scenes anyway.” The main shooting period is set for this summer, although initial filming locations across Europe will have to be changed, due to Covid-19. Delivery is scheduled for 2021.

Looking ahead, Solar Films will continue to focus primarily on mainstream films for the theatrical market, while ramping up its TV drama output for the international market.

“Seven-eight years ago it was difficult to raise financing for Finnish TV series. We therefore decided to cut back our TV scripted content after our detective show Vares. Now it’s different,” asserts Helle. “We have aggressive streamers [on top of traditional broadcasters], and the international market is hungry for premium Finnish content, so we feel it’s time to expand into TV drama.”

Selin concurs with his colleague. “It makes sense to come back to international TV drama. The streamers are strong and we can see an upside of producing for television, next to theatrical. We also want to make sure that the talent who collaborate with us have as much work prospect as possible throughout the year."

Solar Films’ TV slate includes the comedy series Sisäilmaa (3x50’) produced for Yle. Tiina Lymi (Happier Times Grump), winner of a Venla award-Best Screenplay for Solar Films’ comedy series Kohtuuttomuuksia (2017) is directing the mini-series based on her own script written with Juha Lehtola.

Next is the eight-part psychological thriller The Freezing Embrace commissioned by 
MTV/C More. The series is co-written by Veli-Pekka Hänninen (The Storage) and Johanna Hartikainen (Venla nominated in 2008 for Ylikävely) based on a novel by Christian Rönnbacka. Black Ice’s Petri Kotwica is directing. Filming is set to start in the fall.