White Wall scoops Best TV Drama, Best Director at Finnish TV awards

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, only finalists and programme representatives attended in person the Golden Venla (Kultainen venla) ceremony May 28, organised by the Finnish Television Academy and transmitted live on Nelonen.

Aleksi Salmenperä came on stage to receive his best directing award for White Wall, which also beat two premium international TV shows in the Best TV drama category: Peacemaker and Paradise.

White Wall was co-created by Salmenperä with Fire Monkey co-founders, producer Roope Lehtinen and writer Mikko Pöllä. The sci-fi series starring Aksel Hennie, Vera Vitali was the first full co-production from development stage between Yle and SVT, produced by Fire Monkey with Sweden’s Nice Drama. Nent Studios UK handles global distribution.

Elsewhere the crime drama Paradise (MRP Matila Röhr Productions) picked up a Golden Venla for Best Actress. Riitta Havukainen plays a seasoned police officer asked to come back from retirement to investigate a crime on the Spanish Costa del sol. The show commissioned by Yle and Mediapro was nominated in 2020 for the Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize-Best Nordic Screenplay.

The third season of the comedy series Sunday Lunch written by Atte Järvinen won three Golden Venlas for Best Comedy series, Best Screenplay for a Fiction series and Best Actor-Taneli Mäkelä. The TV show was produced by Yellow Film & TV for C More.

The prize for Outstanding Children and Youth Programme went to the successful animated series Moomin Valley, produced by Gutsy Animations for the Finnish pubcaster Yle and Sky in the UK.

During Friday’s gala ceremony, two lifetime achievement awards were handed out to British-born Finnish theatre and TV writer/director Neil Hardwick and to actress Eija Vilpas.

For the full list of awards, check: www.kultainenvenla.fi

White Wall trailer.