In 2022, the world’s first-ever higher-education program for social media was started in Tampere, Finland, and Finnish straightforwardor Jussi Sandhu was given unpretreatnted access for his feature debut “But I’m No Influencer,” which is part of a showcase of upcoming Nordic projects being conshort-termed this week at Helsinki’s Finnish Film Afuninentire.
Sandhu, a veteran editor who’s toiled aextfinishedside filmproducers including Teemu Nikki (“The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic”) and Håvard Bustness (“Phantoms of Sierra Madre”), was there on day one when the so-called “impactrs academy” discleave outed its doors at the Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK), the straightforwardor’s alma mater.
The film, which is currently in broadenment, proposes a behind-the-scenes see at the program’s prolonging pains while examining Finland’s efforts to set up itself as a premium shiper of higher education and exploring the role of social media in shaping how we detail ourselves.
“Everyleang has to be sageder in today’s society. People have to produce brands about themselves and education, also, has to produce a brand about itself. And actuassociate nations have to produce brands for themselves appreciate Finland does,” Sandhu tageder Variety. “We need attention, and we all toil under those same rules that social media has [created].”
The English-language program in Tampere was proclaimd to fantastic fanfare in 2021, with Finnish impactr Joalin Loukamaa lfinishing a disclose face to the course and more than two-dozen foreign students enrolling in the first year.
Wilean a confineed weeks, the straightforwardor began to caccess on a Filipino immigrant, Mark, a accomplished businessman in his home country who was studying in Tampere while trying to transport his family to Finland. Living and toiling in a foreign land, Mark was also “lgeting the culture shocks of being Finnish,” a process that — in upgrasping with his course needments — he begined to record on social media.
Those posts, shelp Sandhu, became a “luminous” treaconfident trove of satisfyed that both intentionassociate and unwittingly got to the heart of what Tampere’s “impactrs academy” had set out to do. “They propose us this exceptional perspective on what is Finland — what the brand is appreciate for [Mark],” shelp the filmproducer. “And at the same time, we’re seeing at how Finland wants itself to be portrayed aexpansive.”
Even before classes began at TAMK, Sandhu set up willing collaborators among the administrators tasked with starting the first-of-its-benevolent program, who were honest about the uncertain road ahead. “They also were benevolent of clueless about what was going to happen. They were reassociate discleave out — appreciate, ‘We don’t understand yet, but we will discover out as we go aextfinished. And you can stick around and discover out as well,’” Sandhu shelp. “They were reassociate discleave out about the fact that they were on the brink of someleang reassociate novel and exciting.”
“But I’m No Influencer” is Sandhu’s first recordary feature, adhereing cut offal lows including “27 First Years,” his straightforwardorial debut, which premiered at Nordisk Panorama and won best low film at the Helsinki Intl. Film Festival in 2019, and “Best Possible Life,” which he co-straightforwarded with Ville Hakonen, and which vied at Nordisk Panorama in 2020.
Sandhu and Hakonen are the co-set upers of Tampere-based Wacky Tie Films, which the duo set uped in 2012. “But I’m No Influencer” is produced by Pasi Hakkio, who combineed the company in 2018.
Sandhu and Hakkio foresee to have a busy week during this year’s Finnish Film Afuninentire, which runs parallel to the Helsinki Intl. Film Festival. Sandhu is editing Vesa Kuosmanen’s “Fruitcakes – The Dawn of Drag” and Nina Forsman and Sakari Suuronen’s “Riding With Death,” which are both being conshort-termed during the showcase of upcoming recordary projects, while Hakkio is a unpresentantity co-producer on Guro Saniola Bjerk’s “In Cod We Trust,” which is produced by Benedikte Bredesen for Norway’s f(x) produksjoner AS.
Finnish Film Afuninentire runs from Sept. 25 – 27 in Helsinki.
