Finnish producer Jussi Rantamäki recognized film industry practices in a book about restaurants
In Finland, producer Jussi Rantamäki said he recognized practices of the Finnish film industry in a book about working conditions in the country’s Nepalese restaurants. The book in question is the Finlandia Prize-winning nonfiction work Pitkä vuoro by journalist Paavo Teittinen, reports YLE News.
According to Rantamäki, in the early 2000s, when he started working in film, the industry resembled the “Wild West.” Workers were paid a daily rate without additional compensation for evening or overtime work, although contracts provided for a ten-hour working day. Working days often dragged on. The producer himself recalled that he could work 15 hours into the night and then drive a truck for another three hours the following morning.
Changes in working conditions
Rantamäki said that Teittinen’s book made him reflect on the widespread belief in film that intensive work and long shifts are a normal part of the profession. The book describes cases in which people were recruited to Nepalese restaurants in Finland in exchange for an entry fee and paid meager wages.
According to him, labor practices in the Finnish film industry began to change in the 2010s. Elokuvayhtiö Aamu abandoned daily pay, began recording overtime work, and paying compensation for it. In 2023, a universally binding collective labor agreement was introduced for film and television productions, obliging companies in the industry to comply with its terms.
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Rantamäki, who teaches future producers at Aalto University, noted that employee well-being is one of the main topics for students. At the same time, he believes that excessive regulation of the creative process could bring film production closer to assembly-line work.
International production
Rantamäki became a producer in 2010, when he began managing Do Films, which was then renamed Elokuvayhtiö Aamu. He is now a co-owner of the company together with producer Emilia Haukka. Among the arthouse films made with the company’s participation, the source names “The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki,” “First Snow,” “The Woodcutter Story,” and “Granny’s House.”
The producer considers international cooperation necessary for Finnish cinema because of rising costs and unchanged levels of support from the film fund. According to him, all Elokuvayhtiö Aamu films were international co-productions, while the share of foreign financing in their budgets ranged from 20% to 70%.
