Place of Birth: Helsinki Education: MA in Film. Speaks: Finnish, English, Swedish, French, Italian and Spanish. Has lived in: Finland, Germany, France, US, Ecuador, Italy and India. Favourite Italian film: Fellini’s films in general, for the aesthetics and the world he creates within them. Visually most beautiful film: Days of Heaven by Terence Malick, which is quite exceptional as it was filmed only during sunrise and sunset. Most impressive film: The Lord of the Rings trilogy, for the amazing attention to detail and for succeeding in compressing the book so well into a film. When I want to relax I prefer watching: Classy and aesthetically pleasing “chick flicks” such as Branagh’s Much Ado about Nothing, A Room with a View by James Ivory or even Jeunet’s Amelie.

Rosa Karo’s latest film offers a light alternative for cinemagoers.

FAIRYTALES have become rather rare in today’s world, where films that portray uttermost misery seem to be the most applauded. Cinema houses are packed with works that – although possibly cinematic masterpieces – will make you cry, shiver, or simply bring you down for hours, sometimes even for days.

Finnish writer-director Roosa Toivonen – also known as Rosa Karo – has decided not to add to this growing pile of agony-laden flicks by writing and directing her first fictional film, The Italian Key. With its graceful setting in the Italian countryside in the summer, it might be just what you need to escape the less than alluring Finnish weather.

SixDegrees sat down for a cup of tea – or perhaps five? – with Karo at a Chinese restaurant in downtown Helsinki, interrupted occasionally by momentary aromatic distractions wafting over from the kitchen.

The Italian Key was filmed in the UK, India and Italy. How did you end up choosing Italy as the main location for the film?

My husband and I spend around four months of the year in Italy; we have our own place in Cabella [north of Genoa, the location of the film], so yes, it’s a real town! We’ve been spending lots of time there since the beginning of the mid ‘90s. As the place is so small, owners of restaurants and hotels in the area know us pretty well by now, so we didn’t have any problems with getting good deals from them when organising the filming!

You’re known as a documentary filmmaker, what made you write and direct a fictional film like this?

It’s actually quite a funny story, as I used to be a big supporter of documentary films. I used to say that invented people are banal and it’s rather the real people whose stories should be filmed. I never felt like making a fictive film. I even found actors somewhat weird! Sorry actors!

A few years ago, however, we were talking with some friends about how great it would be to do a project together, and we decided to try filmmaking. Many of us were already working or studying in the field of film/entertainment, but we felt that movies nowadays are too commercially geared and it would be nice to make something a bit different, while still keeping the audience entertained.

When we started making the film we didn’t have any outside funding. We just decided that okay, let’s film next summer and invite our friends, rent some villas and live there and eat together. It was more of a project where we could have fun. Later some investors joined us, as well as The Finnish Film Foundation, that we naturally are forever grateful for!

So, many of the people seen in the film are acquaintances of yours?

Yes. All the houses and the castle are all either through contacts or we know the owners. We gathered lots of our friends together to plan the film, so it was kind of a fun project between us – with a small budget! We didn’t have the budget or infrastructure to take on important actor divas – so the young actors we cast for the film are actually regular summer inhabitants of the village.

And you also had your husband, composer Tuomas Kantelinen, working on the film with you.

He composed the music for the film and was also one of the three producers. The film is actually quite a family production, as my father was also one of the producers. Tuomas and Seppo handled most of the operative chores, like paying the bills and got to complain about different things to me!

What was it like to make your first fictional film? Did it match your expectations?

Making a film already in itself is an enormous challenge. What is particularly challenging for the director is the fact that there are so many decisions to be made all the time. Especially in this film, which was a bit of a DIY project – I’d be washing the toilets and making people’s beds! I definitely didn’t have a big line of assistants doing everything for me while I just sat there! This kind of a situation makes you a bit of a control freak where you notice every single detail.

The film itself is quite anarchistic for a Finnish film; if you know what kind of films they make here, anxiety drama etc. I’m pretty sure critics will think, ‘What! How dare anyone make such a film!’

How did you end up writing a fairytale in the first place?

For me the most important thing is to leave the audience feeling good at the end of the film, hopefully with a smile on their face. I do admire directors who make dramatic films where everyone cries and are sad for three days after. But I myself don’t want to bring more anxiety into this world; I’d rather make a small and beautiful bundle of cotton candy-kind of a film.

How would you compare the making of a documentary film with the making of a fictional one?

Perhaps contrary to what one might think, directing a fictional film was more relaxed. With fiction, you just follow the script that is already split into parts.

In the case of a documentary, if there’s a main character that you are following, you have so much responsibility, because you are the one presenting this person to other people. Naturally you have to choose which things to show others, and which to leave out. It has a big impact on the life of the person portrayed in the documentary, whereas when it is the case of a fictional character, it doesn’t matter.

However, logistically you have much more responsibility when making a fictional film, because everything costs a lot of money when you have dozens of people working towards your vision.

Which direction will the future take you? Towards documentaries or fictional films?

I have some scripts for fictional films, but I wouldn’t exclude making documentaries entirely. I think the two actually form a good balance. Right now I’m more excited about fictional films, so my next film will be one!

The Italian Key premieres on 16 December.

Jenni Toriseva