Nordic practices and Nordic sensibilities in Finnish–Swedish co-productions: The case of Klaus Härö and Jarkko T. Laine

In Swedish and Danish cinema’s subtle variations of light, director Klaus Härö and cinematographer Jarkko Laine found initial inspiration for cinematic treatment of people in relation to their Nordic environment. While making their first three feature films in Sweden, the two Finns became acquainted with Swedish professional practices deriving from a long tradition of film-making. These differed in many ways from Finnish practices. While imposing certain limits, the Swedish system was also supportive in a way that the Finnish system was not. In Finland, a major break in tradition occurred following the fall of the studio system; there continues to be lower volume of film production. However, particularly in making their first two films Elina – som om jag inte fanns/Elina: As If I Wasn’t There (2002) and Äideistä parhain/Mother of Mine (2005) Härö and Laine were able to unite Finnish and Swedish creative talent and produce award-winning films.