Beta Cinema has taken international sales rights for drama Lapland War, about a group of Finnish youngsters as they grapple with their country’s changing allegiances during World War Two, for an AFM launch.
It is the latest film by Finnish director Aku Louhimies, who is best known for the 2017 local box office hit Unknown Soldier and the TV series Conflict.
The film is set in 1944 at the tailend of the war in which Finland aligned with Germany for a time in a bid to fight off an invasion by the Soviet Union, before reaching a peace deal with the latter which involved kicking German troops out.
The storyline follows soldiers Heikki and Pauli who take their first steps toward adulthood in the unforgiving expanse of the Arctic Circle, and interpreter Saara Vainio who leaves her husband for German officer Duisberg, defying both convention and country.
When news of Finland’s armistice with the Soviet Union reaches the front lines, everything changes: Heikki and Pauli are forced to turn their weapons on those they once fought alongside, and Saara and other women must choose between love and loyalty.
The film is produced by Backmann & Hoderoff, the production company founded by Louhimies and producer Andrei Alén.
Louhimies describes the film as “a story about a generation of young people trying to make sense of the geopolitical upheaval surrounding them — which unfortunately makes it very current as well.”
The cast includes Volker Bruch (Babylon Berlin), Peter Franzén (The Gunman), and Sannah Nedergård (Codename: Annika).
“The cast brings both authenticity and global appeal to the production. We believe Lapland War will resonate well beyond Finland,” said producer Alén.
Unknown Soldier (2017) was a major box office hit in Finland and remains the highest-grossing Finnish-language drama in the country’s cinematic history. Beta Cinema sold it to more than 30 territories world-wide, including the US, UK, Australia, France, Germany, Japan and China.
Principal photography is currently underway with filming is taking place across the remote wilderness of Lapland, with additional photography scheduled in Southern Finland later this year.
Nordisk Film will distribute the film in Scandinavia, while Beta Cinema is handling international sales. Lapland War is slated for release in autumn 2026.
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