21 Ways to Ruin a Marriage from Finland's Dionysos

by Jorn Rossing Jensen

09/03/2012 - "Divorce is a direct and probable consequence of falling in love," states Anne - the 29-year-old lead character in Finnish director Johanna Vuoksenmaa's new feature, 21 Ways to Ruin a Marriage, which the Finnish Film Foundation has supported in its latest production package.

A multi-award-winning director of television films - her most recent feature was One Foot Under [trailer] (2009) - Vuoksenmaa has scripted the story of the young woman who has decided to remain single and tries to make science out of her phobia of 'commitment', writing her dissertation titled X Ways to Ruin Your Marriage - until she meets Aleksi.

The production will be the second feature from Helsinki-based Dionysos Films Oy: "Casting is almost finished, and principal photography is set to commence in mid-May," said producer (and Dionysos co-owner) Riina Hyytiä, who is also backed by a €1.2 million budget from Finnish commercial broadcaster MTV3. Nordisk Film AB has slated the local premiere for February 2013.

Established four years ago by Hyytiä and Vuoksenmaa, Dinosys Film is currently working on the second season of MTV3 's 12x45mins Click Me television series, developed by the producer-director team. The first 12 episodes about a 41-year-old mother-of-three who - in lack of time for real life - turns to the internet, won five local Golden Venla TV awards and will be launched at the upcoming MIPTV.

The Finnish Film Foundation also chipped production funding into Finnish directors Aku Louhimies's Never Forever, from Blind Spot Pictures (Tero Kaukomaa, Marko Antila), to be released in January 2013 by Nordisk; and Mikko Kuparinen's The Body Fat Index of Love, from Matila Röhr Nordisk (Ilkka Matila), also set for release next January through Nordisk.