Movies | Sisu gets a unique distribution for a Finnish film in the United States

Jalmari Helander’s guided by Go will receive one of the widest distributions that a Nordic film has achieved in the United States. Deadline, which follows the entertainment business, reported on Tuesday that the Lionsgate company will distribute Sisu to cinemas in North America.

“The minimum is a distribution of 500 screens, in practice the distribution can be wider”, reveals the film’s producer about the contract Petri Jokiranta.

“The deal exceeded all my expectations of what could be possible for a film starring a non-A-list Hollywood star.”

Jorma Tommila plays the main role of an action film set in the war in Lapland, a recluse gold digger who comes face-to-face with the Nazis and kills them with imaginative means. Playing the female lead Mimosa Willamo.

The head Nazis are Norwegian Aksel Hennie and British Jack Doolan. Helander’s style is that the Nazis speak English.

The distribution of 500 copies means Lionsgate investing millions of euros in marketing. The amount can easily be more than Content six million euro budget.

The distribution volumes of the biggest Hollywood films are in the range of 3,000 to 4,000 copies. European drama films are typically distributed in the United States with a few dozen copies at best.

“

“It’s a crazy feeling when there’s full mayhem in the theater while your own movie is playing.”

Content the world premiere was in September at the Toronto Film Festival. Critic of the film business magazine Variety Dennis Harvey described it as “jubilantly overshooting” and a “mood picker that will probably please many, but definitely not for everyone”.

Last weekend Content was celebrated in Spain at the Sitges Film Festival, which is one of the world’s most important fantasy and horror film events. Sisu won the awards for best film, best actor, music and cinematography.

“Lionsgate is in a really good mood, and they have been distributing this type of action movies,” says Helander, who has returned from Sitges.

He refers John Wick -to films in which the main part is played Keanu Reevesas well as the latest To the Rambos. Lionsgate’s film series are also, for example The Hunger Games mixed Saw-horror movies.

On the phone, Helander seems to be more concerned about the events in Sitges than about the distribution agreement, which was signed in September but only announced now.

“In Sitges, the show was like a rock concert. It’s a crazy feeling when there’s full mayhem in the theater while your own movie is playing [rähinä]”, the director describes.

“During the movie, there were several standing ovations. When the reaction was the same in Sitges and earlier in Toronto, we start to trust that the same can be expected elsewhere.”

Inside attracted exceptional interest already in the production phase, when Sony pre-purchased the rights for the whole world except for the Nordic countries. The financing agreement with the Hollywood studio was unique for Finnish feature film production.

“When Go was about to be completed, Sony saw that it would even have a chance for wide theatrical distribution in the United States,” says Jokiranta.

A third party with a suitable brand was wanted for the task Content for a movie like A tender was held, which Lionsgate won.

According to Jokiranta, Lionsgate is excited to keep Sisu as the film’s distribution name in the United States as well. In the past, the name of the work has been used in international contexts Immortalimmortal.

“Even within the film, there is an idea that the word sisu cannot be translated into other languages,” Jokiranta opens.

Go will arrive on Finnish screens in early 2023, possibly before the US distribution. Our distributor is Nordisk Film, which joined the project even before Sony.