Finnish Foundation backs filmmaker behind Jade Warrior

by Annika Pham

22/10/2007 - In its last round of production support, the Finnish Film Foundation (FFF) awarded €180,000 to AJ Annila’s follow-up to Jade Warrior [trailer], Sauna, and €130,000 to the Finnish/Swedish co-production A Good Life by Anders Engström.

Sauna is a horror film about sins, repentance and the pursuit of salvation that bathes in the Finnish sauna culture, in the no man's zone between Christianity and paganism. The film, budgeted at just under €1m, is produced by young Finnish producer Jesse Fryckman (Bronson Club) with Tero Kaukomaa executive producing.

YLE has television rights and Sandrew Metronome local distribution rights. Shooting will run from October 29 until November 8 in Finland and will continue in the Czech Republic in March 2008.

A Good Life is the story of a mother of two grown-up children who discovers she has terminal cancer. She decides to live life to the fullest and to make peace with her estranged daughter.

Finnish director Engström (44) graduated from the London International Film School in 1987 with a distinction in cinematography. He established his fame mostly as director of popular Finnish and Swedish television series such as Wallander, based on Henning Mankell’s crime novels of which he directed three episodes.

The €1.6m A Good Life is the first feature film produced by Marcus Wikars and Jan-Olof Svarvar for Finland’s IXL Pictures, in co-production with Svensk Filmindustri, who will handle Nordic and world sales. YLE has television rights and shooting will start in the next few weeks.