FACTS

Original Title

Koputus

Genre

Psychological Horror

Production Year

2022

Country of Origin

Finland
Language Spoken

Finnish

Length

87 mins
Festival
Main competition at Sitges Film Festival (world premiere)

Directors

Max Seeck & Joonas Pajunen
Scriptwriters
Max Seeck & Joonas Pajunen

Cast

Inka Kallén, Saana Koivisto, Pekka Strang

Production Company
Solar Films Inc.

Producers
Jukka Helle, Markus Selin

Release Date
February 2023

SYNOPSIS

Three adult siblings return to their childhood home, where their parents were allegedly murdered many years ago. The plan is to get the house and estate ready to be sold, but it turns out something evil tries to prevent them from doing so.

Producers

Jukka Helle

Producer

Jukka Helle, CEO and producer at Solar Films Inc. – the leading film production company in Finland. Strong movies for large audiences have been the guidelines for all the operations, and still is. Together with Markus Selin, Helle has produced over 60 feature films + massive archive of TV drama and entertainment.   

 

Markus Selin

producer

Markus Selin has been an awarded producer since early 80’s. He has produced over 60 feature films and uncounted amount of all kind of drama and other TV productions, mostly with his partner in crime, Jukka Helle. The focus in future productions is widely in international features and exciting well written drama series, both original and remakes. 

Directors

Max Seeck

Director

Max Seeck is an international and New York Times bestselling author who writes novels and screenplays full-time. His accolades include the Finnish Whodunnit Society’s Debut Thriller of the Year Award 2016 and the Storytel audio book award for Best Crime Novel 2020. Seeck has previously co-produced two feature films and one of his books, The Witch Hunter, is currently being prepared into TV series in Hollywood. Seeck is a former marketing and communications specialist and a business masters graduate. Seeck’s books have sold more than 260 000 copies in Finland alone and his work has been translated to more than 40 languages. His novels have reached the bestselling lists in the USA, Germany, Sweden and Denmark.

Statement

"The inspiration for The Knocking comes from the Finnish forests, which offer an excellent setting for psychological horror and a stage for a world that oozes the rather gloomy folklore and pushes the buttons of the viewers’ subconscious minds. We believe that genuine fear is created deep in the subconscious. Our aim was to create a mood that enables waking up these fears hiding in the corners of our minds – without forgetting the story which will surprise the viewers and keep them in its grip from the first scene until the last. In the film, three siblings come face to face with a gloomy tragedy in the forest; it’s the tragedy that struck their parents and the youngest one of them many years ago. The characters’ traumas and the primitive, reduced environment create a titillating combination that will surprise viewers who have become numb of splatter and special effects horror; the combination will make them bite their nails. The beauty of the film is that in it, an environment that we’re so familiar with becomes threatening. The movie also makes a statement that underlines the relationship between the nature and humans."

- Max Seeck & Joonas Pajunen

Joonas Pajunen

Director

Joonas Pajunen is a LinkedIn Award Finland nominated serial entrepreneur and video communication professional who has produced and directed hundreds of informational and commercial videos for purposes that range from marketing to advertising and communications. The Director & Writer Joonas Pajunen grew up in Helsinki, Finland. Alongside the debut film, The Knocking, Pajunen has made a career in business. He has worked as an entrepreneur, CEO and a director in his company V2B Ltd. He has produced, written and directed hundreds of corporate videos and worked with the most prestige companies in Finland. He’s also a board member in an investment company Parepak Finland and OFRD Ltd, that is focused on events and marketing. 

 

Trailer

Exclusive clips

Cast

Inka Kallén

Inka Kallén is a Finnish actress. She is known for her roles in numerous TV series and films since a teenager. She studied acting in New York at The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute (2006-2007) and finished her MA in acting at Helsinki Theatre Academy (2010). As an actor Inka seeks truth in her work and is inspired to explore what’s real about her character. Her latest work is the leading role in a film The Wait (2022) which was also her first venture into screenwriting.

Pekka Strang

Pekka Strang’s international breakthrough role was in Tom of Finland, in which he portrays the gay icon Touko Laaksonen. He then went on to star in Dogs Don’t Wear Pants, which premiered in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight; a role which won him BEST ACTOR award at the Finnish Academy Awards. Internationally, he has performed in TV series including Bäckström (Sweden), Berlin Station (US), Maly Zgon (Poland) and the feature film Champion of he World  (Russia). 

Saana Koivisto

Saana Koivisto is an actress based in Finland. She graduated as a Master of Arts from the acting program in the Theatre Academy, University of Arts Helsinki. Her recent work include the lead role in a rom-com series Like Mother Like Daughter (Kullannuput). She has also acted in several other productions such as Finnish series All the Sins, Netflix series The Serpent, and the feature film Helene (dir by Antti J. Jokinen). 

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