Specific: After receiving overwhelming reviews from its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, which provoked a bidding war, SonyStage 6 Finish Feature sisu Scooped by lionsgate, The film will receive a theatrical release at some point in the future.
Film filmmaker Jalmari Helander (Rare Exports, Big Game) and follows Atami, a former soldier in 1945, who, on his way to the city, searches for gold in the deep woods of Finland. The brutal Nazis search for their treasure on a Scorched Earth mission. He’ll have to go through a lot to get his gold back – even if it means killing every last Nazi. Atami is portrayed by Jorma Tomila, the filmmaker’s longtime collaborator.
sisu It currently holds a 100% (Fresh) rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was one of the best-reviewed films from TIFF. The film also recently held its European premiere at the Sitges Film Festival, where it was awarded four awards over the weekend: SOFC Best Feature Film, SOFC Best Actor, SOFC Best Cinematography, and SOFC Best Original Music. (SOFC designates the film as In-Competition.)
Also in the picture are Axel Heaney, Jack Doolan, Mimosa Willmo and Oni Tomila.
Petri Jokiranta produced the film through SubZero Film Entertainment in association with Good Chaos. Mike Goodridge, Gregory O’Annon and Antonio Salas are EP’s. The film is supported by the Finnish Film Foundation, Business Finland – Audiovisual Production Incentive, Film Tampere and Finnish TV and streaming channel MTV Seymour. Stage 6 Films The film was financed and retained international rights, except for Nordic, which is held by Nordisk Film.
Lionsgate EVP of Acquisitions and Co-Production Ada Cowan said,sisu Showcased as a TIFF Midnight Madness selection, and experiencing it was so exciting as audiences went crazy for it. And the critics agreed – 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s outrageous, visceral action and a real crowd-pleaser symphony. We are sure it will connect with a wider audience.”
“When we first read the script of Jalmari, we knew it had created an outrageous and explosive thrill-ride that needed to be seen in a theatre. TIFF’s positive response only validated our instincts, and we’re excited to be working with Lionsgate to show the world the meaning of this word. sisuSaid Joe Matukewicz, Head of Stage 6 Films, Sony Pictures.
Eric Charles oversaw film for Sony’s Stage 6 Films.
Cowan, Michael Mayer, Christopher Davis and Casey Holcomb spoke on behalf of Lionsgate. WME Independent negotiated the deal on behalf of Stage 6 Films. Helander is reprized by Jerome Duboz of WME and Ithaca Media.