ELO Film School Finland

Markku built a house for his family with his own bare hands like a strong man is supposed to do. He worked hard from dawn to dusk, so that his seven children would have a roof above their heads. Unfortunately, the task ended up being too hard and Markku burnt out. One day, he left his family and disappeared abroad. The filmmaker travels to his childhood home to face his father, who he never got to know properly. Together they build a steel gate in front of the unfinished house, and try to create a relationship between each other.

Rebekka and Aatos, stuck in the past, meet for the first time since their painful breakup at their treasured poetry slam. It’s easier to sing about longing than to talk about it.

Out into the big wide world as fast as possible. That’s Elli’s plan. But where should she get the money from, if not steal it? When Heze falls for her, she steals from him and both have to learn: “Adulthood is a big pain in the arse”.

Sami directs a reality series but ends up as the main character.

In a forest, three elderly sisters are playing hide-and-seek. As the play goes on, time starts to lose its linearity, and past selves merge with present ones. What follows is an odyssey through dreams and memories, a hallucinatory exploration of time and collective imagination.

Where light breaks into shards is a poetic short film about an encounter between a human and a bladderwrack on the shores of the Baltic Sea. The theme is intepreted through the memories of the sea and it invites the viewer to contemplate ones own relationship towards other species.

Somebody Should Do Something tells a story of insecurity and longing for freedom, of fear that drives people to poor choices. The main character, Elvis, falls for the new girl in class, Onerva. Seeking acceptance from his friends, Elvis lies and tells them he’s had sex with Onerva. Due to the lies and misunderstandings, the whole town is soon at a point where somebody should do something.

The supermarket is nearing its closing time, and the last customers are queuing for their turn at the fish counter. The agonizing wait offers a chance for existential reflection and a little song.

After the disappearance of his wife Juha has lost control of his life as well as the connection to his son. One morning a visitor comes to his door and the one-day love story following this encounter leads Juha to crossroads. We Have Heaven is a short film about old junk, nocturnal organ ballads and cosmic distances.

27-year-old Mona works alone at a remote grill, studies again for the upcoming entrance exams and endlessly misses her spouse Helga, who is on a business trip. A new employee starts at the grill, 19-year-old lively and unbalanced Leo, who in all his likability makes Mona miss her past.

In the beginning of 1990s Finland was faced with the most serious financial crisis of its history; recession. Over 400,000 unemployed persons, almost 200 000 bankruptcies and a whole national offspring of insecurity were born in a country with around 5 million in population, all within a few years. How does the childhood during depression look like from adulthood?

Nesting is a story about Veikka (20), who is about to leave his work place - a construction site owned by Kari (50) - to start a new life in the big city. Veikka thinks the goodbyes will go smoothly, but gets interrupted by a rare situation: there’s a baby in the crane. The surprising problem is an annoyance at first, but in the end it opens up communication between the employees in a way that has been difficult in the past.

It's almost Christmas but these three people are still on the road. The products don't sell, the car is a wreck and the weather is freezing. Moreover there is a problem: how to cope with an emerging friendship?

Joy the Magic Clown’s faith in herself is being tested. But if you can’t believe in yourself, how can you believe in magic?

The documentary is a part of "Europe refuses to work" project. The goal of the project has been to gather together ideas and practices that are encouraging from the critique of work, which open up prospects for a more meaningful and sustainable world.

They are everywhere without us observing them. These ‘invisibles’ can only be seen on camera and only heard thanks to a microphone. Footage shot in public spaces shows people who seem non-existent to everyone else in the frame.

Three friends celebrate midsummer together in a remote house. The next morning one of them is missing. Lila and Siiri recount their different takes on last night's events, trying to figure out where Riina could be. Siiri keeps trying to tell Lila something she is not willing hear.

A shared moment by a fire in the remains of an Eastern Finnish rural community. The lines between light and dark, past and present start to waver. It Takes Years to Reach Us is a meditation on remembering while we drift on.

The Night Thief is a warmhearted drama set in the suburbs of Helsinki, Finland. It tells the story of a Somali man, Farah, whose car starts to disappear mysteriously at night. Although the car always shows up in the morning, Farah starts to run late from work, and fears that he could lose his job. Farah’s wife is moving to Finland from Somalia and if Farah were to get fired, his wife’s residency permit would be in danger. Due to the circumstances, Farah decides to do whatever it takes to catch the thief. In the end, things take an unexpected turn when Farah finally faces the person who has been stealing his car.

Janika takes advantage of her pregnancy by smuggling amphetamine from Tallinn to Helsinki with her brother.