13/03/2012 - The Finnish Film Foundation is supporting Never Forever, from veteran director Aku Louhimies, and The Body Fat Index of Love from newcomer Mikko Kuparinen

While his latest feature Naked Harbour has enjoyed more than 80,000 admissions domestically since its February 3 release through Buena Vista International Finland, Finnish award-winning veteran director Aku Louhimies (pictured) will later this month (March 20) start principal photography on Never Forever, which Jari Rantala has scripted from Marko Kilpi’s novel. Finnish actress Jessica Grabowski, who most recently appeared in Samuli Valkama’s Love and Other Troubles, will play the lead.

The Finnish Film Foundation has provided €630,000 production funding for the €1.3 million feature which follows a young mother just released from prison who wants to return to a normal life, and two detectives, both with personal problems, who are investigating a serious drug crime. Production will be completed in November by Jero Kaukomaa and Marko Antila, for Blind Spot Pictures, with Channel Four Finland/Nelonen, and Nordisk Film AB Finland will release in January 2013.

The foundation has also chipped in €645,000 for Finnish director Mikko Kuparinen’s feature debut, The Body Fat Index of Love. The “romantic comedy about independent people pursuing their lifelong dreams” is the story of Timo and Elisa, both in their thirties, who are dreaming respectively of becoming a poet and the owner of a vintage clothes store, with relationships a complete non-priority. When they meet they agree to have “just great sex, no complications and analysing”.

Laura Immonen and Hannamaija Matila wrote the script for Miko Nousiainen (most recently in Vares: The Kiss of Evil) and stage-TV actress Miina Massola (her first feature) to star in. The €1.5 million Ilkka Matila production for Matila Röhr Productions Nordisk Film Production AB, with Channel Four Finland/Nelonen Media, will shoot later this year, and Nordisk Film Finland will release the film in next January; Denmark’s TrustNordisk will handle international sales.