Cultural Corner: Filmmaking in Kulosari

Film editor and author Minna Santakari together with researcher Juha Seitajärvi examine the film history of Kulosari studios as part of the new work Dream Factory in Kulosari - The Story of Fennada-Filmi Oy (SKS, 2026). The lecture is free and can also be followed via the Helsinki City Museum YouTube channel.

Fennada-Filmi Oy's film studios were established in an old tennis hall building in Kulosari in 1950. Children from the neighbourhood and admirers of actress Heidi Krohn gathered around Kulosari Road, and the area's landscapes and buildings were captured in the exterior shots of numerous films.

In the lecture, Santakari and Seitajärvi examine two films shot at the Kulosari studios in detail: the horror film The Witch Returns to Life (Roland af Hällström, 1952), based on Mika Waltari's play, and Matti Kassila's interpretation of Kianto's Red Line (1959), in which Jussi Jurkka played the agitator Puntarpää in a manner worthy of the Jussi Prize.

Cultural Corner 4A meets on the second Wednesday of each month for lectures and discussions. The programme covers history and culture related to the city museum's themes.