Ari Matikainen

Spy from a Distance

The secret past of a World War II-era intelligence officer comes to light when his grandson, actor Joonas Saartamo, begins to investigate his grandfather's activities as the leader of a long-range reconnaissance patrol. Meeting various experts along the way, Saartamo discovers a new insight into the crucial role of long-range reconnaissance patrols in war. He also realizes how strongly the weight of his grandfather's war experiences has been passed down from generation to generation, affecting him directly.

Snot and Splash: The Mystery of Disappearing Holes

Snot and Splash travel to their grandmother's house in the small town of Mouthwash for a winter holiday. Once there, they discover that everything is a little off in what used to be a very ordinary town. The strangest thing is that holes are disappearing from the town. Snot and Splash set out to investigate and manage to get on the trail of a local dentist, Migrén Junior. However, the investigation is in danger of failing when messy Snot and diligent Splash get into an argument with each other. How can Mouthwash be restored and the holes put back in place if the boys can't work together? The only way to restore the world is for the brothers to work together.

Melting Dreams

In the mountains of central Afghanistan, a group of Afghani teenage girls are challenging cultural stereotypes, by learning to ski and bringing it to a professional level through extensive training in Europe.

Fragments of Humanity

In the Kosovo War, human dignity was shattered by the terrors of the Serbian government and the Albanian liberation army. Truths about the victims’ fates faded away, which is why a Finnish forensic research group led by Helena Ranta got a mission to act as an unbiased agent and investigate the real course of events.

Acasă, My Home

In the wilderness of the Bucharest Delta, nine children and their parents lived in perfect harmony with nature for 20 years – until they are chased out and forced to adapt to life in the big city.

Rodeo

A documentary exploring the difficulties the newly-independent Estonia faced in the early 1990s after emerging from decades of Soviet rule. The film focuses especially on then-32-year-old and inexperienced Mart Laar, who became country's prime minister while there still were tens of thousands of Soviet soldiers in the country.

The Unforgiven

Is it possible for a war criminal to find forgiveness and to reconcile with the past? How do you find your way back to what is known as a normal life when you have been convicted of one of the worst crimes of all – a crime against humanity? Esad Landzo has looked for answers for many years, but in vain. He decides to make one last attempt. The Balkan War criminal travels back to Bosnia to meet his former camp-guard friend, his victims and his family. Will he ever be forgiven? Should he?

War and Peace of Mind

War and Peace of Mind explores what war does to the human mind and how both, the individuals and the nation as a whole, survive it psychologically. Finland and WWII, locally known as continuation war, is the backdrop of this documentary.