Selma Vilhunen to Direct “She Did Not Show Remorse” for Dionysos, Nordisk Film

One of Finland’s most renowned filmmakers, Selma Vilhunen, continues to give voice to women of all ages through her cinematic creations. Her works range from the Oscar-nominated short “Do I Have to Take Care of Everything” to Berlin Crystal Bear winner “Stupid Young Heart” to her latest film, “Four Little Adults,” which earned Alma Pöysti the best acting award in Göteborg.

Vilhunen’s upcoming project, “She Did Not Show Remorse,” marks her most ambitious and intense work yet, delving into female shame culture within patriarchal societies.

Teaming up with producer Venla Hellstedt of Finland’s Dionysos Films, Vilhunen has released details and the first visual sneak peek of the storyline exclusively to Variety, ahead of their pitch at Haugesund’s Nordic Co-Production Market on August 21.

This film marks Vilhunen’s first venture into period drama, inspired by Tommi Kinnunen’s best-selling novel “Ei kertonut katuvansa” (“Defiance” in English), which is based on true events.

The story follows five Finnish women who escape imprisonment after working for the Nazi army in Norway during the final months of WWII. As they traverse the challenging arctic wilderness on foot, they discover that although the entire Finnish nation once collaborated with the Nazis, only certain women are now treated as traitors, according to the storyline synopsis.

Among the group is Irene, who must concoct a story to explain her prolonged absence to her husband. Upon her return home, she opts not to lie, leaving her broken marriage behind to live a nomadic life.

In an interview with Variety, Vilhunen expressed how Kinnunen’s “angry and sometimes merciless” novel captivated her. “The women in the story only have bad options to choose from,” she emphasized, adding that her previous works often highlighted solidarity, tenderness, and love. “In this film, I feel I’m opening the door to all the anger and despair that is also true in this world and in myself. The forces that make a woman’s space in the world very narrow are strong again today.”

“This is a story about what it means to be a human when society around you is gaslighting you to believe that you are always somehow inferior or guilty of something.”

Vilhunen has spent years researching the controversial topic of the thousands of Finnish women who chose to work for the Germans during WWII, even after the half-official Finnish/German alliance was dissolved. She has interviewed historians in Norway and Finland and reviewed numerous historical documents, finding the material highly gender-biased.

“Although the entire Finnish nation was a German ally, and German soldiers had lived and fought in Finland for three years, only Finnish women were treated as traitors if they were caught having been in contact with Germans after Germany was declared an enemy,” Vilhunen explained. “Men who fought in the war have their heroic stories of courage and brotherhood. Women, if they happened to have anything to do with the Germans, were put to shame.”

The prospect of directing this physically demanding film is another significant draw for Vilhunen, who herself walked more than 1,500 kilometers between Finland and Norway during her mid-twenties, albeit on a different route.

“The physicality of the story is everything,” she stated. “It will be demanding to make the film in the Lappish wilderness, but at the same time, I believe that nature will give us so much, and we must be able to adapt to a lot of what nature dictates.”

She revealed that the “absolutely fantastic cast” will be announced once filming begins in May 2025.

The €3 million ($3.2 million) project is being co-produced by Nordisk Film Norway & Denmark, Rein Film, and Filmcamp in Norway. It has received backing from the Finnish Film Foundation, Creative Europe Media, the Lapland Film Commission, and Kuusamo Council. Nordisk Film will handle Scandinavian rights.

At Haugesund, the project will mainly seek distribution, additional financing, and festival attention. “We are always keen to hear what kind of reaction audiences have to our story,” Hellstedt commented.

“She Did Not Show Remorse” is among 22 carefully selected projects to be showcased at the 19th Nordic Co-Production Market, which is part of the New Nordic Films market in Haugesund from August 20-23.

Source: Variety