EXCLUSIVE: Production is underway in Finland on historical drama Tell Everyone, the modern feature from Girl Picture director Alli Haapasalo. Sho
EXCLUSIVE: Production is underway in Finland on historical drama Tell Everyone, the modern feature from Girl Picture director Alli Haapasalo.
Shooting on location in the Seili mental asylum on the Finnish archipelago, Tell Everyone is adapted by Katja Kallio from her 2017 novel Amanda Of The Night.
The film follows Amanda, a woman condemned to an isolated mental asylum island; who refuses to submit to the grim fate society has reserved for outcast women.
Marketta Tikkanen heads a cast of leading Finnish actors, alongside Krista Kosonen, Fallen Leaves star Alma Poysti, Aamu Milonoff and Jakob Ohrman.
Noora Dadu, Fanni Noroila, Tiina Weckstrom, Wilma Melasniemi, Terhi Suorlahti and Inke Koskinen round out the cast.
The film is produced by Teea Hyytia for Helsinki-filmi, with Suvi Soitinaho as associate producer, and is aiming for an autumn 2026 premiere. Shooting will also take place at Brinkhall Manor in Turku, Finland.
Backing comes from the Finnish Film Foundation, Yleisradio (Finnish Broadcasting Company), Finnish Impact Film Fund, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, West Finland Film Commission, and SF Studios.
SF Studios holds Nordic theatrical rights and will distribute the film in Finland.
“It’s a story of remarkable resilience,” said Haapasalo. “Amanda is an insightful and unrestrained woman, who has cultivated incredible survival skills in order to stay true to herself. At the end of the day though, it’s all the deeply meaningful relationships she experiences while in captivity, that truly set her free.
“My almost entirely female cast is phenomenal. Together, all the characters in Amanda’s life make up a deeply human tapestry of women’s life stories.”
Finnish filmmaker Haapasalo’s third feature Girl Picture – titled Girls Girls Girls in Finland – debuted at Sundance in 2022, winning the audience award in the World Cinema – Dramatic strand.
It went on to play festivals including Berlin, BFI Flare, Sydney and Tallinn Black Nights; scored nine nominations and four wins including best film at Finland’s Jussi Awards; and was Finland’s entry to the 2023 international feature Oscar.
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