Mervi Junkkonen

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?

Hit Big

Marjaleena, Miss Finland's 2nd princess from decades ago, runs a bar on the Spanish sunny coast with her son Vili and her retired sidekick Mikko. Their carefree lives are cut short when the trio learns that Marjaleena's ex-husband Mato is about to be released from prison after a long sentence. Mato plans to retire to the sunshine coast to enjoy the spoils of robbery with his new lover and drive Marjaleena, Mikko and Vili out of their bar. But that's no good for the betrayed trio, who want their share of the millions.

Dogs Don't Wear Pants

Juha has lost his wife in an accident. Years after, he still feels numb and unable to connect with people. Meeting Mona, a dominatrix, changes everything.

The Good Driver

Ivan, a Bulgarian taxi driver living at the Golden Sands tourist resort, is saving money in order to go back to Finland to meet his ex-wife and son, and to make amends for his past mistakes. But money is tight, and eventually Ivan will resort to extreme measures.

In the Same Boat

A film about the limits of the aging body and the boundless mind. Rauno's story takes us on a boat trip with his father. A journey of misadventures and his father's new Finnish record in cursing.

Knock, Knock

Leila is a recently divorced woman. She looks around the empty house and finds it difficult to understand that this is her life. The night before moving out, Leila wakes up to a knocking that seems to come from inside her living room wall. A man inside claims to be a time traveler from the future.

The Longest Day

Midsummer in Sweden; somewhere above the Arctic Circle. Many curious stories unfold in a small Finnish-speaking village, while the sun never sets.

Close to Me

Aila is looking for a lost cat when she meets Simo, a young man of few words.

Giants and the Morning After

At the beginning of time, giants created the mountains and deep forests that surround the small town of Ydre. It’s now one of Sweden’s smallest municipality, and has a population of just a few thousand, which is carefully looked after by the friendly and idealistic mayor. He is ready with gifts and big smiles every time a child is born and he can note that Ydre has a new inhabitant. In the meantime, youths and elderly people are working and living their lives. It’s a cinematic film about responsibility, love for the community and sense of belonging told with an anchored humor about ordinary enlightened moments of everyday on-going life. Creation myths, fables and everyday realism are mixed with understated comedy in an atmospheric and moving film.

Star Boys

Through the eyes of two 12-year-old boys, the sexual revolution arrives in a conservative and religious small town in Northern Finland.

They Have Escaped

Two troubled youths break out of their halfway house and make their way to one's home.

After Life - 4 Stories of Torture

Kebi, Serge, Musa, and Hector come from different parts of the world, but they have one thing in common: they have all been tortured in their home countries. Contrary to their expectations, they survived the torture and they now all live in Finland. Life goes on, but with certain limitations. The torture has had a severe impact on them.

After Life - 4 Stories of Torture

Kebi, Serge, Musa, and Hector come from different parts of the world, but they have one thing in common: they have all been tortured in their home countries. Contrary to their expectations, they survived the torture and they now all live in Finland. Life goes on, but with certain limitations. The torture has had a severe impact on them.

The Visitor

A young boy lives with his mother on a farm surrounded by deep forest in the remote wilds of the Finnish countryside. From time to time, the boy visits his father - a man of great violence - in prison. Locked in the stable is an unruly horse, the boy´s only other companion. Their simple life is disrupted when a stranger appears, with a note from the father and a bullet in his side. Reluctantly, mother and son offer the stranger refuge.