In 1938, Finland is slowly coming out of a recession. Large amounts of nickel have been found from Petsamo in Lapland and a mine is underway. Dreaming of a new life, metal worker Eino Forsell and his family head there for a new beginning. | Based on true story.
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Director Biography – Emilia Kovanen
I am Emilia, a budding filmmaker and media multitasker born in 1999 who moved to Turku after studying film at the Turku Academy of Arts. I got an internship in my first year of studies, which opened the doors to the industry. Throughout my studies, I have worked in the film industry, for example as a production assistant, production coordinator, 2nd and 3rd assistant director, runner, set assistant and stage assistant. I graduate as a film producer-director in the summer of 2025. The Man Up North is my first directorial work and thesis. I believe that if you want to achieve something, you have to take action right away and do it. That’s how I have acted my entire career and with this film; believing in what I was doing and starting to do it.
Director Statement
The Man Up North is based on memoirs written by my great-grandfather, which ended up in my possession through many lucky coincidences during genealogy research. Among the three hundred typewritten sheets, I found a story about the years of Petsamo, which was lost to the Soviet Union during the war, about the ruggedly beautiful nature of Lapland and the threat of war, and about the survival of a small family.
The last sentence of the original Petsamo memoirs in particular; “I was like a crushed man” sent shivers down my spine. Those texts made me think about the nature of reality at that time. A time that we have no idea about. I wanted to illustrate those words from dusty archives and consider how far the human mind is willing to go to understand what is truly meaningful in life. I think that such a unique opportunity to tell the story of one “crushed man” could not be missed – and that is how the film The Man Up North was born.
OOPS! I made the film as a student at Turku University of Applied Sciences and it is my thesis. However, I am no longer a student because I graduated with the making of this film.
| Emilia Kovanen Director, Writer, Producer Kalle Salo Key Cast “Eino Forsell “ Saana Niemelä Key Cast “Helvi Forsell (wife)” Kari PJ Ketonen Key Cast “Makkonen (foreman)” Onni Ahonen Key Cast “Hietaniemi (worker)” Seppo Honkonen Key Cast “Mikko (worker)” Matias Sjöblom Key Cast “German soldier” |
