Suomalainen lastenelokuva

Abstract

Children’s films have been an integral part of the Finnish film industry throughout the 2000s. Several films are produced annually, attracting vast audiences among both children and adults. Despite the significant role of children’s films in Finnish film culture as a whole, only little research has been conducted on the subject so far. This collection of articles provides a fascinating overview on the past and present of Finnish children’s film and its complex role in today’s Finnish film culture. 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, and do so in novel ways.