Documentary in Finland: History, Practice and Policy

«Documentary in Finland is a needed contribution to the emergent field of documentary production studies, and it sets the direction for further research on small nation documentary film cultures.»

(Ilona Hongisto, Professor in Film Studies, Norwegian University of Science and Technology)

«This book offers an excellent exploration of the Finnish documentary eco-system as a site of negotiation between several competing elements in a constantly evolving film and television culture. There is much to be learned about the specific Finnish context, but also plenty of valuable lessons for other small nation film cultures and anyone with an interest in how to think of production cultures from a productive media ecology perspective.»

(Eva Novrup Redvall, Associate Professor, Department of Communication, University of Copenhagen, Denmark)

Having established itself as an award-winning and ground-breaking documentary cinema in the 1990s and 2000s, Finnish documentary has experienced many of the challenges that have beset the form since the mid-2010s, including the digital disruption of production and distribution traditions. How has documentary in Finland met these challenges, and what does that say about the country’s way of making films? This book examines the ecology of Finland’s documentary filmmaking milieu by framing and analysing a series of encounters with its most important financiers, producers and directors. What emerges is a portrait of an interconnected ecology of relationships and practices, typical of a small nation documentary cinema and of the traditionally communitarian nature of Nordic film cultures. Through this analysis, the ruptures and challenges within this ecosystem are addressed, where the values of collaboration and the coherence of a national culture are challenged by the forces of change.