filmmaking

Finnish audiovisual culture is at a crucial turning point. As a newly minted NATO member and an increasingly prominent player on the global stage—both as an independent nation, a European country, and a Nordic state—Finland is drawing more international interest than ever before. At the same time, the country’s immigrant population is growing rapidly. In 2000, only about 2% of Finland’s population (100,000 people) had a foreign background. By 2025, this number has risen to roughly 9% (500,000 people), and projections estimate that by 2045, it will reach 15%—around one million residents. (Stats: Tilastokeskus)

In an increasingly globalized world, cultural visibility is key. Finnish culture is gaining international recognition, yet an unfortunate barrier remains: language accessibility.

Finns are known for their strong English skills—Finland ranks seventh globally in English proficiency, with approximately 75% of the population speaking English at a functional level. Despite this, Finland’s second official language is Swedish, spoken conversationally by only around 15% of the population. Due to its official status, all Finnish media—films, TV shows, and documentaries—must be subtitled in both Finnish and Swedish, but not in English.

I became acutely aware of this issue after marrying a British citizen who, unsurprisingly, doesn’t speak Finnish. We watch a lot of films and TV together—partly out of personal interest, partly due to our professions—and I’ve made it my mission to introduce her to Finnish culture. She has enthusiastically embraced it, eager to explore our history, arts, and storytelling. But time and again, we hit the same roadblock: the language barrier.

Finland produces 15-20 feature films a year and for example in 2022, 30 TV shows, the vast majority in Finnish. However, Finnish productions rarely travel beyond film festivals, making domestic platforms the main place to watch them:

• Movie theaters, where Finnish-language films are subtitled in Swedish.
• Streaming services like YLE Areena, Netflix, and Viaplay, which typically offer subtitles in Finnish and Swedish.
• Online rental services (Apple TV, Blockbuster, Viaplay), which provide subtitles in Scandinavian languages—but never in English.
• Physical media (Blu-rays and DVDs), which also omit English subtitles despite offering Scandinavian options.

This means that unless a film is screened at Orion Cinema in Helsinki (one of the only places offering occasional English-subtitled screenings) or showcased at a film festival, there’s no legal way for non-Finnish or non-Swedish speakers to access Finnish media—except through piracy. And while AI-assisted subtitle generation is improving, is that really the direction we want to push viewers toward?

The lack of English subtitles disproportionately affects Finland’s growing immigrant population, effectively locking them out of Finnish-language entertainment. Media plays a crucial role in cultural integration, particularly for young immigrants, yet Finnish TV and film remain largely inaccessible to those who don’t speak Finnish or Swedish. This results in an entire segment of Finland’s population growing up without exposure to Finnish media, culture, and storytelling.

The irony of it all is that English subtitles already exist for most Finnish productions. They are created for when shopping for international distribution and trying to get access to film festivals, meaning the content is already subtitled. Yet, for some reason, these subtitles are rarely made available to domestic audiences. Given how simple it is to add subtitles to digital media (and even physical releases), there’s no logical reason why platforms like Netflix, Apple TV, Viaplay, YLE Areena, and others don’t include an English subtitle option.

I know there will be pushback—”Yes, but…” arguments — but let’s be clear: it’s 2025. This is entirely doable. Finnish films and TV shows are some of our best cultural exports, rich in storytelling, history, and artistic vision. Right now, Finland is primarily known abroad for sports figures and dancing politicians and handful of dated clichés — isn’t it time our cinema and television were given a chance to represent us internationally?

And there’s money in it, too! Expanding accessibility means expanding audiences—both among Finland’s growing non-Finnish-speaking population and internationally. More viewership equals more revenue. It isn’t rocket science to calculate this.

Nowadays, I try to watch Finnish content with my wife and act as a simultaneous translator. I’ve grown pretty good at it, you should see me at work, but honestly, that’s not a very viable solution – and doesn’t work at movie theaters, by the way.

So, to all major streaming and media platforms—Netflix, MAX, Disney+, Apple TV, Viaplay, Elisa, Ruutu, YLE Areena—add English subtitles to Finnish content. And to Finnkino—start scheduling English-subtitled screenings of Finnish films. You can do this!

This is a cultural investment, a step toward accessibility, and a decision that will pay off financially, too.