The Finnish Film Foundation’s new CEO appointed

Stuba Nikula was appointed CEO of the Finnish Film Foundation today, January 23rd, by the Film Foundation’s Board. He comes to the role from outside the film industry, with a background in events, cultural leadership and public funding.

When Nikula applied for the role, he was not driven by a desire to arrive with ready-made answers. Instead, he wanted to ask his favourite question: why?

”Film has always been close to me,” Nikula says. ”I’m fascinated by the fact that it is both an art form and something with a commercial dimension. That combination is precisely what makes film so compelling to me.”

Stuba Nikula will take up the role as CEO of the Finnish Film Foundation in August 2026, succeeding Lasse Saarinen, who has served as CEO since 2016.

Nikula’s current role is Head of the Helsinki Events Foundation, where he has worked since 2018. Previously, Nikula worked as Cultural Director of the City of Helsinki and as the Director of the Cable Factory and Suvilahti cultural centres. He also held board positions in various cultural sector organisations, including The Live Music Foundation ELMU and Finlandia Hall.

”I’m not a product of the film industry,” Nikula says, but I have extensive experience in organisational leadership, Finnish cultural policy and public funding processes.”

In its appointment decision, the Foundation’s Board highlighted Nikula’s nearly 30 years of organisational leadership, his strong cultural expertise, and his ability to combine an external perspective with a deep understanding of the cultural sector. According to the Board, Nikula is well positioned to build trust and bring together the film industry’s diverse perspectives into a coherent and impactful voice.

Last autumn, the threat of budget cuts showed that Finland’s film sector is capable of speaking with a united voice. According to Nikula, however, that unity was born out of necessity.

”It was a voice driven by crisis,” he says. ”Now I want to ask whether the field has a shared vision for the future that goes beyond reacting to cuts. That may also include arguments for increased funding.”

For Nikula, the key issue is not only how much money the industry needs, but what it promises in return.

”If the industry says it needs 15 million euros more, we also have to be able to explain what that investment delivers. More films? Bigger productions? Stronger screenwriting? Wider regional reach, or maybe increased exports? That future picture is something the industry has to create together.”

Here, he says, lies a specific responsibility for the Finnish Film Foundation, as a strong actor that produces and shares knowledge.

”The Foundation is not a classic lobby organisation,” he says. Its role is to provide neutral, reliable information that can support decision-making.”

Stuba Nikula challenges the idea that audience orientation would somehow undermine artistic value.

”I don’t see a focus on audiences or consumers as a negative thing. In film, that dimension has always been present. I believe that all art can make some kind of promise, of meaning, purpose or impact, without diminishing the artistic value.”

Nikula emphasises that he is not seeking conflict.

”I’m not looking for uncomfortable conversations,” he says. I’m looking for conversations, full stop.”

He acknowledges that the film field is broad, and that interests sometimes diverge. That is, as Nikula puts it, not a threat, but simply a reality.

”When engaging with political decision-makers, the discussion should be inviting and focused on building a shared understanding. I know that this is a demanding expectation for a sector that is already under strain, operating in a world full of risks and uncertainties.”

“With the funding we currently have, this is where we are. The real questions are whether the resources are being used in the best possible way, and, if there were more funding, what kind of change would it actually create?”

To the press release: CLICK HERE.