Stormskerry Maja, a huge success in Finland, is now sailing on to cinemas in Sweden

The historical drama Stormskerry Maja (Stormskärs Maja) has attracted a large Finnish audience to the cinema theatres. Having been viewed by more than 358,300 people since it was released on the 19th of January, this Swedish-language film is now the most-watched Finnish film of the 2020s, according to the production company Solar Films.

"Some industry insiders predicted the film would only attract 30,000 viewers. Well, we've surpassed that tenfold, and the numbers are growing," says producer Markus Selin.

The film, based in the 19th century and written and directed by Tiina Lymi, is a dramatic historical piece lasting nearly three hours. It tells the story of 17 year old Maja (Amanda Jansson), who was married to fisherman Janne (Linus Troedsson) against her will.

Maja and Janne move their family to the isolated island of Stormskerry in the Åland archipelago. Life on the island is filled with challenges. Maja has to cope with her husband being away at sea for long periods of time, and she has to take care of her family all by herself. It’s hard work to survive, but Maja has now grown into a strong woman, not afraid to deal with the hard life in the archipelago.

The saga is based on a five-volume book series by author Anni Blomqvist. It was also adapted into a TV series, which gained popularity in 1975.

Marketing producer Thomas Forsström at Solar Films is pleased with the nationwide popularity of the film.

"It's clear that not only the Swedish-speaking areas in Finland appreciate the film; it's well received across the whole country," he says.

Word of mouth has been significant, but he also emphasises the positive reviews the film has received, especially praising the main actor Amanda Jansson, whose previous roles include Sara in Thin Blue Line (Tunna blå linjen).

According to Thomas Forsström, the film had a budget of 4.3 million euros, which is quite a lot for the Finnish film industry. It is the largest film production made in Swedish in Finland to this day. The production also received support from the NFTVF.

The team did a thorough research on how people lived on the Åland islands in the middle of the 19th century, before they started shooting the film.

“There is a motivation behind every prop. Not a single object can be described as not belonging to that place and time,” Forsström says.

“The film was shot in 50 days, which is high compared to the typical 30,” he continues, “with post-production taking an additional 60 days.”

Stormskerry Maja is set to hit cinemas in Sweden on the 19th of April. The date is in accordance with the original plan for international distribution, according to Jukka Helle, CEO and executive producer at Solar Films. Negotiations are underway to screen the film in Norway later this year.