Producer Riina Hyytiä named producer of the year at Finnish Film Week.

At the closing gala of the Finnish Film Week (Sept 20-26), producer Riina Hyytiä was named Producer of the Year for Johanna Vuoksenmaa’s divorce comedy 21 Ways to Ruin a Marriage (21 tapaa pilata avioliitto).

The comedy is the first Finnish feature by a female director to exceed 400,000 admissions, which only four films have achieved in the last 25 years.

Organised for the fourth time as part of the Helsinki International Film Festival-Love & Anarchy included 24 domestic productions introduced by the filmmakers.

It included previews of Ulrika Bengts’ Lärjungen (The Disciple - Finland’s submission for the Oscars), Rax Rinnekangas’ Luciferin viimeinen elämä (The Last Life of Lucifer), Pekka Lehto’s Luciferin viimeinen elämä (The Surrealist and His Naughty Hand), Dome Karukoski’s Leijonasydän (Heart of a Lion) and Pirjo Honkasalo’s Betoniyö (Concrete Night).

More awards for industry professionals went to:

  • Director of the Year Simo Halinen for Kerron sinulle kaiken (Open Up to Me);
  • Screenwriter of the Year: Jenni Toivoniemi, for Treffit (The Date);
  • Actors/Actresses of the Year: Laura Birn, Liisi Tandefelt, for Puhdistua (Purge);
  • Colleague of the Year: Johanna Jolle Onnismaa;
  • Documentary Filmmaker of the Year: Joha Elomäki, of the Pirkanmaa Film Centre.

Another section of the showcase, the 2nd Finnish Film Affair targeted at sales agents, buyers, festival programmers and press, also ended yesterday, with a record number of 250 delegates, including 60 foreign participants.

The 26th Helsinki International Film Festival-Love & Anarchy runs until Sept 29.

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