This collection of articles, published by Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura (Finnish Literature Society), provides an overview of the past and present of Finnish children’s film and its complex role in today’s Finnish film culture. Despite the significant role of children’s films in Finnish film culture, little research has been conducted on the subject so far. This book, edited by Outi Hupaniittu, Marjo Kovanen, and Heta Mulari, is the first academic contribution on the topic since the work by Jukka Sihvonen in the 1980s.
The contributors approach children’s film from a cross-disciplinary viewpoint, including perspectives from Film Studies, History, Childhood Studies, and Educational Sciences. The book explores children’s film as a professional choice for Finnish filmmakers and as an international business card, while also assessing the pedagogical possibilities of strengthening multiliteracy. Lastly, through analyses and close readings of different Finnish children’s films, the articles discuss themes such as girlhood, child-animal relationships, imagery of death, and resistance to neoliberalism.
The book is in Finnish and can be downloaded for free.
Introduced by Marjo Kovanen