Zaida Bergroth’s biopic won seven statuettes at Wednesday’s annual Finnish film awards including Best Film, Director and Lead Actress (Alma Pöysti).

Favourite Jussi entry with ten nominations, Tove was also awards for Best Cinematography, Set Design, Costume and Make-Up.

The life-affirming biopic about the iconic author/artist and Moomins creator Tove Jansson, was Finland’s candidate at the 93rd Academy Awards and picked up the Sven Nykvist Cinematography award at this year’s Göteborg International Film Festival. The Helsinki filmi production was sold by LevelK to more than 50 territories.

Games People Play by Jenni Toivoniemi (Tuffi Films) and the documentary Aalto by Virpi Suutari (Euphoria Film), each picked up two Jussi awards.

Iranian star actor Shahab Hosseini, close collaborator to Asghar Farhadi, was voted Best Actor for his performance in the heart-warming movie Any Day Now by Finnish/Iranian debut director Hamy Ramezan. The candidate for the upcoming Nordic Council Film Prize was also bestowed on Wednesday the €20,000 Nordisk Film Award, handed out to a film that uplifts Finnish film culture.

Other Jussi winners include last year’s top selling Finnish film Ladies of Steel by Pamela Tola for which Saara Pakkasvirta won Best Supporting Actress, and Elina Talvensaari’s Lady Time, crowned Best Documentary. Meanwhile the Audience award went to One Half of Me by Tuukka Temonen.

World-renowned writer/director/cinematographer Pirjo Honkasalo behind the acclaimed documentary film 3 Rooms for Melancholia, was handed out the Lifetime Jussi-Betoni award.

Nordisk Film & TV Fond was associated to nine Jussi awards for the films Tove and Aalto.

Normally organised in March, the Jussi awards ceremony was postponed to September 15 due to the pandemic. It was transmitted nationally on MTV3.

Full list of Jussi Awards 2021:
Best Film: Tove-producers Aleksi Bardy, Andrea Reuter, Helsinki-filmi
Best Director: Zaida Bergroth – Tove
Best Lead Actress: Alma Pöysti – Tove
Best Lead Actor: Shahab Hosseini – Any Day Now
Best Supporting Actress: Saara Pakkasvirta – Ladies of Steel
Best Supporting Actor: Samuli Niittymäki – Games People Play
Best Script: Jenni Toivoniemi – Games People Play
Best Cinematography: Linda Wassberg – Tove
Best Music: Sanna Salmenkallio – Aalto
Best Sound Design: Arttu Hokkanen – Lost Boys
Best Editing: Jussi Rautaniemi – Aalto
Best Set Design: Catharina Nyqvist Ehrnrooth – Tove
Best Costume Design: Eugen Tamberg – Tove
Best Make Up: Riikka Virtanen – Tove
Best Documentary Film: Lady Time by Elina Talvensaari, producers Emilia Haukka, Jussi Rantamäki
Best Short Film: The Bouncer by Aleksi Salmenperä