Production

Ari Tolppanen

Born May 12, 1953 · Helsinki, Finland

Died February 26, 2026 · aged 72

No biography available.

Known For

Unknown SoldierUnknown Soldier · 2017
Unknown Soldier
★ 7.42017
MovieWarDrama
The film follows Finnish army machine gun company in Continuation War against Soviet Union, 1941–1944. Based on Väinö Linna's best selling novel Tuntematon Sotilas (The Unknown Soldier) and the novel's uncensored version, Sotaromaani (A War Novel).
The Summer BookThe Summer Book · 2025
The Summer Book
★ 7.32025
MovieDrama
The story of the relationship between Sophia, an eight-year-old girl who is growing up fast, and her grandmother, who is nearing the end of her life. They are spending time together with Sophia’s father, at the family summer house on a tiny unspoiled island in the Gulf of Finland. All three are coming to terms with the recent death of Sophia’s mother in very different ways.
ToveTove · 2020
Tove
★ 6.52020
MovieDrama
Helsinki, 1945. The end of the war brings a new sense of artistic and social freedom for painter Tove Jansson. While focusing her artistic dreams on painting, the enchanting tales of the ‘Moomin’ creatures she told to scared children in bomb shelters, rapidly take on a life of their own, bringing international fame.
The Kidnapping of a PresidentThe Kidnapping of a President · 2026
The Kidnapping of a President
★ 6.52026
MovieComedyDrama
In October 1930, a group of officers belonging to the Finnish army's top leadership decided, after a night of drinking, to kidnap Finland's retired first president, Ståhlberg. The Finnish people were divided in the aftermath of the civil war, and the political atmosphere was turbulent and tense. However, the kidnapping went wrong right from the start when the incompetent henchmen recruited for the job were forced to take the president's stubborn wife, Ester Ståhlberg, with them.
The WaitThe Wait · 2022
The Wait
★ 6.12022
MovieRomanceDrama
The idyllic and secluded Finnish archipelago. The pandemic soars across the world. Elli’s world trembles as her husband’s old friend arrives at the island.
JimpaJimpa · 2026
Jimpa
★ 6.72026
MovieDrama
Hannah and her non-binary teenager Frances visit her gay grandfather Jimpa in Amsterdam. Frances expresses a desire to stay with their grandfather for a year, challenging Hannah's parenting beliefs and forcing her to confront past issues.
Mr. KMr. K · 2025
Mr. K
★ 6.32025
MovieDramaMystery
Mr. K, a traveling magician, finds himself in a Kafkaesque nightmare when he can’t find the exit of his hotel. His attempts to get out only pull him deeper, entangling him further with the hotel and its curious inhabitants.
InsideInside · 2025
Inside
★ 6.22025
MovieCrimeDrama
After being transferred from juvenile to adult prison, Mel Blight is taken under the wing of both Mark Shepard, Australia’s most despised criminal, and Warren Murfett, a soon to be paroled inmate. As a paternal triangle grows between them, we see that even the worst of men have a little bit of good inside that will be their undoing.

Filmography

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Nimby: Not in My BackyardNimby: Not in My Backyard · 2020
Nimby: Not in My Backyard
★ 4.92020
MovieComedyDrama
Mervi is a gay girl living in the hipster quarters of Helsinki. She has been together with Kata for a year, and now they are encouraged by the circumstances to come out from closet. When they do, Mervi realises that she is not the only one in her family with secrets – her parents have been living in an open-bisexual-swinger-relationship for 20 years. On the other hand Kata is pretty surprised that she might be living with a hetero girl that once was dating a neo-nazi. And the ex-boy friend cannot swallow that Mervi is now with a person both of wrong color, and sex. The real threat appears when Kata’s parents arrive from Berlin and the local skinhead chief finds out that a black muslim celebrity politician has arrived to town.

Executive Producer

Memory of WaterMemory of Water · 2022
Memory of Water
★ 5.22022
MovieFantasyThriller
Centuries in the future, world's freshwater supplies are running out. Wars are waged over water, and China rules over Europe, including the Scandinavian Union. Far in the north, young woman, Noria, is learning to become a Tea Master, like her father. Tea Masters alone know the location of hidden water sources, including the natural spring that Noria’s father tends, which once provided water for her whole village. After her father dies, the military moves in to watch over the village -- and Noria. Refusing to give in her freshwater spring, Noria digs in deeper into her family’s secret. Within the Tea Masters’ books, she finds information that the government’s power is based on lies, that there still might be fresh water left for everyone. She risks her own life and sets out on a dangerous journey to find out if this is true.

Executive Producer