West Finland Film Commission’s Negotiations Brought an International Film Shoot to the Turku Archipelago

The Turku archipelago will receive international attention due to a film shoot currently underway
Many established actors feature in the film, including Nicola Perot, Outi Mäenpää, Timo Torikka, Elmer Bäck and Cecilia Paul Many
The German director Jonas Rothlaender praises the archipelago as a unique location

The versatile actor Saara Kotkaniemi is the leading role of the relationship drama that is not shy about depicting the power struggles found in relationships. The movie, with the working title of Power of Love, is being filmed right now in the Turku archipelago, and shooting will continue in the stunning Turku landscape to the end of July. Jonas Rothlaender, a German director living in Finland, directs the Finnish-German collaboration film. The charismatic Swiss actor Nicola Perot stars in the other leading role, with Outi Mäenpää, Timo Torikka, Elmer Bäck and Cecilia Paul in supporting roles. The film premiers in theaters in 2022.

Rothlaender’s bold drama tells the story of the Finnish Saara and the German Robert, whose relationship is framed by a deliberate and fascinating power struggle. While vacationing in the Turku archipelago, they enter into a wild game, in which the limits of reality and fantasy blend together in frenzied ways.

–It’s fantastic to get to make a film in the Turku archipelago, which is a totally unique location, even on a global scale. The spellbinding atmosphere of its white summer nights offers the perfect setting for our story, in which the erotic roleplay between the protagonists goes too far. Through my film, I want to examine the fine line that exists with passion and roleplaying on one side, and power struggles that are detrimental to the relationship on the other, comments director Jonas Rothlander, who is excited about the shoot.

Cast and crew on the first day of the shoot. From left to right: producer Luis Singer, director of photography Carmen Treichl, producer Julia M. Müller, actresses Outi Mäenpää, Saara Kotkaniemi, Nicola Perot and director Jonas Rothlaender. Photo courtesy of StickUp Filmproduktion 2021.

The Turku archipelago has been the location of many international and domestic films and series. The West Finland Film Commission, operating under Turku Science Park Ltd., helps productions find locations that fit the film’s story, both in the archipelago and elsewhere in the Turku region.

–We are ecstatic to have an international film production shoot here in the Turku archipelago. It’s great that Turku-based film professionals get to work with an international team. The archipelago’s increased visibility is also a good thing for tourism, says Teija Raninen, director of the Experience spearhead at Turku Science Park Ltd.

The production company Bufo is in charge of producing the film in Finland. Bufo has previously produced movies by Aki Kaurismäki and Pirjo Honkasalo, and, for example, The Human Part, directed by Juha Lehtola and based on a novel by Kari Hotakainen. The film’s main producer is the German StickUp Filmproduktions (Julia M. Müeller, Luis Singer). The film has received funding from the Finnish Film Foundation, Medienboard Berlin Brandenburg, Deutscher Filmförderfonds, Eurimages and the West Finland Film Commission, and it has been conducted in cooperation with Yle and Rundfunk Berlin-Branderburg (RBB)/Arte. B-Plan Distribution is in charge of distributing the film in Finland.