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PRODUCTION Finland

With more than 200 producers, Finland’s Iron Sky to finally take off in Berlin

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Finnish director Timo Vuorensola’s Iron Sky [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tero Kaukomaa
interview: Timo Vuorensola
interview: Timo Vuorensola
film profile
]
- the first Finnish feature backed by crowd funding and investment – will have its world premiere as a Panorama Special at the upcoming Berlinale, which runs between 9-19 February. The film has been in production since 2006.

While Niko and The Way to the Stars [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
is the closest Finnish cinema has yet been to outer space, Iron Sky introduces the sci-fi epoch from Vuorensola’s script, written by Michael Kalesniko and based on an original story by Johanna Sinisalo.

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Iron Sky is produced by Finland’s Tero Kaukomaa, of Blind Spot Pictures and is co-produced with Energia Productions and Germany’s 27 Films Production, Australia’s New Holland Pictures and more than 200 fan investors, ten of whom have producers credits.

Finland’s so far most expensive production, shot in – among others – Germany and Australia, Iron Sky was made on a €7.5 million budget as the first Finnish production to raise financing (€800,000) from crowd funding and investment.

”The close-to 200 investors expect to see returns from their €600,000 backing – ten have provided enough to be named in the credits – while the €200,000 crowd funding is from people buying merchandising or in other ways supporting the film,” Kaukomaa explained. With an international cast including Christopher Kirby, Julia Dietze, Götz Otto, Peta Sergeant, Udo Kier and Stephanie Paul, Iron Sky is described as a dark sci-fi comedy with an alternate take on history, anticipating the triumphant return of Germany’s Third Reich.

Instead of losing World War II, a large group of Nazis flee to the dark side of the moon where, after 70 years in total secrecy, they have constructed a massive armada of flying saucers and are now, in 2018, poised to attack the unsuspecting Earth.

Handling international sales, UK’s Stealth Media Group has – before the European Film Market in Berlin – licensed the film to more than 20 territories, with ongoing negotations with the US, Russia and India. Domestic release is scheduled for April 4.

The producer of more than 30 features, Kaukomaa and his Blind Spot have backed such films as Finnish director Antti-Jussi Annila’s Jade Warrior [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
(2006) and Sauna (Wash Your Sins) [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
(2008), Swedish directors Pernilla August’s Beyond [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
(2010) and Jan Troell’s Everlasting Moment [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
(2008).

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