ELO Film School Finland

A documentary about one night at Alexander Theatre in Helsinki. Staff prepares for 300 guests, serves them and closes this historically significant building for the night.

Three young women are having hard time, each of them having their own struggles. They share kindness, compassion, hope. Then suddenly one loses their phone and the girls are pulled into a sudden chase around Helsinki.

A daughter writes a letter for her father, who she lost after he was sentenced on charges of blasphemy.

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.

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.

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”.

As she keeps watching old home movies isolated in her hotel room, the screen becomes a mirror from which she tries to see herself. Levels of subjectivity, narrative, and reality entwine into a surrealist fever dream of scopophilic cinéma pur. The final layer of meaning is all of us watching the film on the screen-mirror in the theatre.

The summer ahead is long and hot but the burden of shame from the past is haunting Joonas, 24, and driving him to solitude. A sudden phone call changes the direction of his summer and brings Joonas to an old manor for a summer job, forcing him to open up to his new workmates and to face his shame. Joonas works hard under the burning sun, driven by his past mistakes, whilst the others lounge under the calming shade of trees. On the last day the group loses track of time and misses the last bus home. They are left at the old manor and a magical midsummer night begins.

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

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?

In the aftermath of a death, a home is cleaned out; the accumulation of a life is removed in bags and recycle bins. But what becomes of the collection of books? Laura Rantanen’s resoundingly moving and wistful documentary reflects on the end of life, what lingers behind, and the moments when a book breaks through the monotony to open the world around us.

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.

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.

Story about 29-year-old Krisu, who is quite lost in her life. Luckily, she has a indie band called Wendy and the Refugee Neverland.

Waste Land is a tragicomic ensemble film about a bunch of kids squatting an abandoned seaside hotel. The shabby hotel offers a life outside the society, at least momentarily. The house is more than a house – it is a utopian space for love, partying and freedom. But can the days of ease last when the squat is confronted both by outside forces and by internal conflicts?

A young man tries to drown out feelings brought on by his painful breakup but can't even seem to get rid of his ex-girlfriend's hair.

After her father's funeral, Maarit plans to return to Thailand. On the day of the departure, she finds her mother Sylvi and her father’s taxidermy badger in a bar and Sylvi makes a revelation that may change Maarit’s departure plans.

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.

Nick Mayers, a music icon, comes to believe that he is the only real person around whom the world revolves. When Nick announces this belief and refuses to perform on the night of a big concert, he sees how quickly his world turns against him. His theory is put to a test as he tries to escape his world.