Filming in Finland
Finland is a world-class filming destination offering a unique combination of high-end infrastructure, exotic natural beauty, and reliable production environments. With a 25% national cash rebate (potentially up to 40% with regional top-ups), it is also highly cost-competitive.
We have gathered here some facts and figures about Finland that might be useful when planning to film in Finland. For more information, visit filminfinland.com
Basic Info
Finland’s population is approx 5.6 million with 1 million living in Helsinki capital region. The two official languages are Finnish and Swedish with English widely spoken. The currency used is euro (€). The infrastructure and logistics works smoothly. You can get anywhere by car. Even to the most remote forests, thanks to the dense forest industry road network. The main cities are connected with extensive railroad network. International flights fly to Helsinki, but also Lapland especially during the winter.
Geography
Finland is one of the northernmost countries in Europe, with an incredibly diverse landscape. The four seasons offers many opportunities. The specialities include the midnight sun, northern lights and long winters with guaranteed snow. There are many locations that are in natural condition. In addition to snow Finland is also known as a land of thousand lakes, 187 888 to be precise! As a filming location it’s quite easy to find places that are previously unexplored on camera.
Pictures and more information on filming locations in Finland can be found here: www.filminfinland.com
The regional film commission have local location database on their website. See the film commissions.
Weather and climate
There are four seasons in Finland. The climate is marked by cold winters and warm summers. The temperatures vary between +25ºC in the summer and -25ºC in the winter. Finland offers diverse landscapes and filming possibilities throughout the year thanks to its unique natural conditions – from the midnight sun and summer heat to long winters and guaranteed snow. You can check the current weather from The Finnish Meteorological Institutes Website: ww.fmi.fi/en
National 25% production incentive
The Business Finland Audiovisual Production Incentive offers a 25% cash rebate on eligible production costs in Finland. Funding is available for feature films, documentaries, scripted TV drama and animation. Qualifying costs include local expenditure from pre- to post-production.
Applications are accepted on a rolling, first-come-first-served basis. Decisions are made quickly – usually within 40 days – and payments are processed efficiently. On average, funds are transferred within 10 days of report approval, with instalments during production also available. The national production incentive is managed by Business Finland.
See the minimum budget and expenditure on the chart below
Regional Film Commissions
Finland has 7 regional film commission and more coming. Most of them offer a regional cash incentive on top of the national 25% cash rebate.
East Finland Film Commission
Film Lapland (Finnish Lapland Film Commission)
North Finland Film Commission
South East Finland Commission
West Finland Film Commission
Film Tampere
Åland Film Commission
Crew Rates
Finnish film crews are super-skilled, efficient, trustworthy and get things done! Read some testimonials here.
Below are the union-recommended minimum rates for film and TV productions which can be used as an indicator. Day salaries are for 8-hours. You can count 10-hour day salaries by adding 37.5% to these sums. All figures indicated are in Euros (€).
You can read The Collective Labour Agreement for Film and TV Productions 2025 – 2028 here.
