Arcada students competing in Finland’s biggest film festival

Published: 27.08.2021 / News

A short film made by students at Arcada is screened at the film festival Love & Anarchy in September. The film Death of a Boy is one of the final productions made at the degree programme in film and media this spring.

The Arcada production is one of 34 short films being selected to the national competition Cut to the Chase – Love & Anarchy Shorts. The films are screened September 22-25 in Helsinki.

- We are incredibly happy that our film got nominated. It is a great recognition for the work that the entire production team has done, says director Basha Troni, Arcada's student in Film and media.

The coronavirus situation of last spring brought extra challenges for the film team, who had to ensure that the production was carried out safely.

- In the end, the restrictions became a creative advantage and we made a fantastic film despite the challenging circumstances. It feels amazing to see our work out in the film festival world, says Saxby Young, producer and student in Film and media.

Death of a Boy follows Albert, who is very shy and insecure. With the aim of bringing Albert out of his shell, his older brother Jon decides to bring him along to a boxing gym, where aggression is respected and the violence is controlled through disciplined practice.

- The film highlights several different languages and shows a minority that adapts to the Finnish society. For us, it was extremely important to show a world that you do not usually see portrayed, says Young.

Love & Anarchy is the biggest film festival in Finland. The 2020 festival gathered approximately 29 000 visitors.

Read more about the R&A Shorts Award.

Do you want to see the short film? Information on screenings and tickets here.

Photo: Kenneth Mattila