Modern-Love Dramedy ‘Sudden Outbursts of Emotion’ Wins Top Prize at Finnish Film Affair

Paula Korva’s “Sudden Outbursts of Emotion,” a dramedy about the complexities of modern love and mid-life crises, took home the top prize Thursday at the Finnish Film Affair, an annual industry event running parallel to the Helsinki Intl. Film Festival.

The film was one of five fiction feature works in progress and seven works in development that were pitched to an audience of industry guests in Helsinki during the Nordic event’s showcase of local and regional projects. Korva’s feature-length directorial debut, the film is produced by Marko Talli of Helsinki-based Yellow Film & TV.

“Sudden Outbursts of Emotion” follows Jane, a travel agent who sells people on adventure but is happily settled in her own life with her partner, Mikki. Thinking their relationship is strong, Jane is shocked when Mikki suddenly proposes they open it up. To save their love, Jane agrees to attend a sex party of the creative class called the Isle of Lust.

The experiment takes a surprising turn when Jane falls in love with the polyamorous Valma. For a moment, everything seems fine, but then new people and new emotions enter the picture. Exploring the diversity of love and the difficult yet liberating journey of finding one’s own path, the film asks if there’s such a thing as too much love.

In its citation of the award-winning project, the jury composed of G4C Innovation CEO and producer Gudrun Giddings, Sundance Film Festival senior programmer Heidi Zwicker, veteran film executive Claire Willats and Buenos Aires-based film company MACO founder Martín Morgenfeld, noted: “Both the pitch and the scene selection gave a very clear image of the storyline and showed a lot of passion and spirit. The perspective had a touch of humor. The topic was about self-discovery and growth, and the growth arc of the character is conveyed very clearly with that touch of humor.”

The award for best Nordic project, which was chosen from among three feature films in the Nordic Selection category, went to “Nipster,” directed by Sunniva Eir Tangvik Kveum and produced by Adam Lunenborg for Sweden’s Carbs Film. Currently in post-production, the film follows a teenage girl’s search for belonging that brings her into the orbit of a far-right eco-fascist group.

In its citation for the prize-winning film, the jury said: “It’s a very important topic facing contemporary youth. The topic is brave, not always talked about and controversial. This was a winner because the story and the issues it’s talking about are seen through a young person’s perspective — an innocent person’s perspective.”

“Nipster” follows Chris, played by Saga Stenman, a 15-year-old girl who feels powerless amid the ongoing climate crisis. Longing for a sense of community, she and her friend Maja sign up for a summer camp for young people interested in climate change. Through her newfound community, Chris begins to blossom, finally becoming part of something bigger than herself. But what appears to be an idyllic summer camp turns out to be a front for an eco-fascist organization looking to recruit impressionable youths.

Speaking to Variety in Helsinki, Tangvik Kveum said: “I’m curious about the way that you can get radicalized into [a movement] and on what terms. What do you need to lack in order to get radicalized into it? And the process of changing your world view, and adapting this world view, and the complex dissonance between knowing that…this is wrong, because it’s a new form of hate, but doing it anyway. Until that point where, you know, ‘Okay, I gotta leave this.’ The process of getting in, and the turning point of getting out — that’s the process that really interests me.”

The award for best documentary went to Finnish director Jussi Sandhu’s feature debut “But I’m No Influencer,” which explores the world’s first-ever higher-education program for social media. The film is produced by Pasi Hakkio of Tampere-based Wacky Tie Films.

The documentary jury, which was composed of director, producer and associate professor Marianna Kaat, director, script consultant and project coach Iris Olsson and DR Sales executive Freja Johanne Nørgaard Sørensen, noted: “This documentary project skillfully balances the absurd journey of its main character in a global world. Its exploration of contrasts gives it a unique charm that will resonate with audiences worldwide.”

“But I’m No Influencer,” which is currently in development, offers a behind-the-scenes look at the growing pains of the first “influencers academy,” which was launched at the Tampere University of Applied Sciences, while exploring the role of social media in shaping how we define ourselves.

“Everything has to be sold in today’s society. People have to make brands about themselves and education, also, has to make a brand about itself. And actually nations have to make brands for themselves like Finland does,” Sandhu told Variety ahead of the Finnish Film Affair. “We need attention, and we all work under those same rules that social media has [created].”

The final award, in the inaugural Finnish Weird category, was handed out by a jury comprised of Elina Ahlbäck, founder and CEO of Elina Ahlbäck Literary Agency, Tribeca Film Festival programming manager Jason Gutierrez, Finland-based cinematographer, screenwriter and director Samuel Boateng and Finnish TV producer, director and host Jarno Laasala.

The prize went to the short film “Mari, Sweetie,” directed by Vivian Säde and produced by Volia Chajkouskaya, which explores Estonian girlhood, body image and finding peace with the past through the lens of magical realism. The jury said in its citation: “We are very impressed by the nature of the project and how this story resonated with us, and for how personal, important and impactful the story is for the message that it delivers. By combining the personal and the magical, bringing together different genres and the flight of imagination, this project embodies the spirit of Finnish Weird.”

Finnish Film Affair runs Sept. 25 – 27 in Helsinki.