Liisa Karpo

Phantoms of the Sierra Madre

A Danish writer travels to Mexico with the purpose of locating a mysterious Apache tribe that fervently seeks to remain in obscurity.

Every Tom, Dick and Urpo

A letter, received by the Finnish National Radio’s phone-in program, hopes that in this era of #metoo and many other well-meaning campaigns, attention will be drawn to an unpleasant phenomenon, the use of the name Urpo as a synonym for idiot. In this warm-hearted and humorous documentary, four men called Urpo gather to reflect on the meaning and impact of their name on their lives. Is the use of Urpo still decent in 2023?

The Gamer

He always comes in second in Counterstrike. But now 17-year-old Finnish super-gamer Verneri wants to be number one with the help of an e-sports psychologist. A shoot ’em up film about self-esteem, ambition and digital dreams.

Jasmin’s Two Homes

Jasmin gazes in delight at the screen of the laptop she uses to make video calls with her father in faraway Somaliland. She asks him if there are hedgehogs there—an important question, because soon she and her brother and sisters will be living there. Her father once fled the war in his native Somaliland. In Finland, he found a second home, and his four children were born there. But he missed Somaliland, and was tired of the racism in Helsinki, so he decided to return with his family.

Golden Land

When Finnish-Somalian Mustafe discovers his ancestors’ land in the horn of Africa is full of copper and gold, he decides to swap his family’s safe but boring life in the Nordics for Somaliland, a self-declared state in East Africa. As Mustafe struggles to lift the treasures from underground, his children embark on a bumpy journey to uncover where they really belong.

The Reporter

Documentary about a Finnish reporter, Hannu Karpo. The movie follows Karpo's decades-long career as a journalist, and how he became a phenomenon and known by the whole nation.

This Train I Ride

The adventures of three female wanderers on their journeys thorough the United States of America, who hop on freight trains to travel free. The particular reasons of each one of them for living this life of perpetual motion are unique, a life that gains sense in the wide open empty space of an immense country, historically marked by the mythical rail roads.

Crossing Tracks

Documentary about father coaching his teenage son in skiing.

Family in the Bubble

My parents were real estate developers and dealers in the 1980s. They achieved the ‘middle class dream’ thanks to the development boom. However, the Asian financial crisis swept everything away.

Grey Violet: Odd One Out

A Russian mother and her queer son try to cope with their new situation, as the son, a political activist and radical artist, applies for political asylum in Europe.

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.

Sixpack

Sixpack is a positive story on the outskirts of society. The story takes place in Helsinki on rock and following the advent of exclusion of the story regarding one of summer days. The film's protagonist, Marshal, is stuck in a shabby home. Lihi and Henninen attract the Marshal out and tired of opposition after the Marshal finds them to spend a hot summer day in the park in the world with amazement. The trio crash -day pass to the young, rutjakkeisiin sense of humor to the police. Day lasts from early morning until the evening the rain to bring sorrow alhoon. Eventually, however, the sun began to rise again it's time to become sensitized and look deep into the eyes of friendship.

Letters to Father Jacob

With few options, newly pardoned convict Leila agrees to work as an assistant to a blind pastor. Father Jacob spends his days answering the letters of the needy, which Leila finds pointless. But when the letters stop, the pastor is devastated and Leila finds herself cast in a new role.

Lone Star Hotel

Lone Star Hotel is a touching journey into the mental landscape of a Finnish man who ponders on his future, his life and the realisation of his dreams.