Soviet bombs are dropped on Helsinki. The year is 1939. Finnish best-selling novelist Mika Waltari (The Egyptian) wrestles with a typewriter to create true lies for the Finnish propaganda force to deceive its enemies. Meanwhile, war correspondents search for the truth, including Martha Gellhorn, the American wife of one of the greatest men of all time, Ernest Hemingway. Propagandists and journalists are sheltering side by side in Helsinki’s grand neo-renaissance Hotel Kampf.
These fascinating true events will be dramatized under the script and direction of AJ Anila (Shadow Line, Peacemaker) from the series Helsinki 1939 and will be aired on Tallinn TV’s Beat co-financing market on November 17th.
The six-part series created by Take Two Studios’ Eero Hietala and Sara Norberg has secured an order for Finland and Estonia from leading streaming service Elisa Viihde.
Anila, who began her career with genre pictures “Jade Warrior” (2006) and “Sauna” (2008), has made a name for herself in recent years with high-end character- and visual-heavy series such as the historical drama “Shadow Lines,” which was distributed by About Premium Content in a number of major territories, including Sundance Now for the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Speaking to Variety ahead of TV Beats, AJ Anila said he literally fell in love with the Helsinki 1939 concept when producer and Take Two Studio CEO Eero Hietala first approached him with it in 2024. Hietala had heard from his friend Kimmo Nokkonen, a writer and former detective, about a Finnish war propaganda unit set up to fight the Soviet Union during the Winter War.
“He stumbled upon this topic, and it turned out to be a Pandora’s box filled with incredible real-life characters,” Hietala enthuses. “My interest was further increased by the fact that Mika Waltari led the propaganda unit. He is the most legendary, if sometimes problematic, Finnish writer.”
Annilla had a feature film in mind, he said, after three series followed: Peacemaker, Shadow Lines and Codename: Anika. “Helsinki 1939” was a story and a TV show that he had to give his stamp of approval. “There have been many great films about the Winter War, but frankly the classics have become a bit boring. Telling the 105 days of war through the amazing and true colorful story that unfolded at Hotel Kamp in Helsinki provides a new perspective. Plus, it’s a very topical subject: propaganda.”
“Look at the story of the Ghost of Kiev, about a Ukrainian pilot who allegedly shot down a Russian plane,” Anila continued, bringing the topic back to Russia’s current war in Ukraine. “That pilot did not exist. But the question is whether that fabricated story actually helped or hurt the Ukrainian cause. I think this question about wartime propaganda is interesting!”
The heart of the show is the luxurious Hotel Kampf, which still stands, a microcosm in which the destiny of a nation was shaped, and a lively temporary home for more than 40 war correspondents, Finnish intelligence officers, and other members of the rich and famous, as well as the hotel’s staff. Delving into that tone, Aneela said the character-driven show will be “colorful, emotional, brave, dark and bright.” “It contrasts the luxury of the hotel dwellers, partying and dining, with the horrors of war. Like in ‘Titanic,’ we see a band play until the end as the world sinks.”
Commenting on the latest event series order, Ani Korpela, Chief Content Officer at Elisa, said: “We are thrilled to be collaborating again with AJ Anila, who previously directed the film on the Cold War spy thriller. He previously directed Elisa Wihde’s original series “Shadow Lines” (Season 1 in 2018, Season 2 in 2020), which was a domestic hit and was widely distributed internationally. trajectory is a truly authentic international project designed to resonate with audiences in Finland and around the world. ”
Sari Lampianen, Executive Producer of Elisa, said: “What better combination than AJ Anila’s unique vision and bold, fun film style, combined with world-changing events that still resonate today? For us, the original series It is essential that the news is interesting, meaningful and reflective of the world around us. The information we are exposed to, including traditional news, shapes how we see the world and remains one of the most relevant issues of our time, whether in times of crisis or not.
Hietala said the show had development support from major Helsinki-based fund management company IPR.VC as part of a multi-title plan, which also includes the highly anticipated crime series Hildur. For the 5th TV Beats co-financing market in Tallinn, Take Two Studios is looking for co-pro partners, gap finance and distributors.
“Helsinki 1939” is one of seven high-end international series competing in Tallinn for the coveted Council of Europe Series Co-Production and Development Award, worth 50,000 euros ($58,600) in prize money.
The TV Beats Forum will be held in Tallinn on November 17th and 18th as part of the Black Nights Film Festival’s Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event confab.
