Finnair and Helsinki Airport have teamed up to create an interesting short film. They say that they’re doing this to celebrate 35 years of connecting East and West via Helsinki, which is a logical thing to showcase, given what a great connecting point Helsinki is.
This is the first time that an airport and airline have teamed up to create a film. They say that the short film, East and West Side Story, “speaks of meaningful encounters that take place when people travel.”
Here’s how they describe the movie:
East and West Side Story follows a famous writer in need of personal privacy, while the whole world wants to have her in the limelight. The story plays on three continents, spacing from the US to Korea and ending in Finland. As the film’s title East and West Side Story suggests, the film has two directors: Young-Wok Paik aka “Wookie” comes from Korea and Johan Storm from Sweden. The two directors both give their point of view on the same story, produced by B-Reel Films (Bergman: a Year in Life). The leading roles are played by Anne Bergstedt (Boardwalk Empire, Black Swan) and Jae Hoon (One Day Maybe).
What’s also cool is that the short film premiered last night in an aircraft hangar at Helsinki Airport, which was turned into a movie theater for a night. This is obviously a great way for the airport and airline to use branded entertainment to tell an emotional story in hopes of reaching a wide audience.
Here’s the short 13 minute film, for anyone who is interested:
I enjoyed the short film…. I think. The story line as such was interesting, the scenery was beautiful, it was sort of relaxing to watch, and I was curious all along about how it would end. I was just hoping for more with the ending, though I guess any other sort of ending would have been cliche.
Also, since this was a movie created by an airline and airport, I feel like these are reasonable questions — since when does Finnair fly the A350 to New York, and why weren’t they both in Finnair’s lounge, given that they were flying business class? 😉
What do you make of Finnair and Helsinki Airport’s short film?
@Daniel
Ah yes I also tell myself that it is a movie, but my head just keeps buzzing all the time! I need professional help :P
The area looks like gate 18-ish to me, but hey I spent most of the time in the lounge so what do I know! But if they were already in the Schengen area then Novak would never have to walk that bridge, because they do not seem to...
@Daniel
Ah yes I also tell myself that it is a movie, but my head just keeps buzzing all the time! I need professional help :P
The area looks like gate 18-ish to me, but hey I spent most of the time in the lounge so what do I know! But if they were already in the Schengen area then Novak would never have to walk that bridge, because they do not seem to be talking around gate 31, so they must be talking in gate 50s, and that is past the bridge! Ahhhh why is this driving me crazy...
But, but, Johnny would have a better time shooting it in downtown! Or right in the place people hug for goodbyes (before security or at the pick up area). Okay beyounged, deep breath, relax, think about the sauna, yes...
@ CP@YOW
You are absolutely right, as I assumed she is US citizen, but I believe if I were to assume her nationality, I would say the character is not European at all. Her grandfather is from Finland and her parents both have very North American accent so likely she, as well as her parents, were born in the US. Her friends also have no idea where the town is so she probably has not...
@ CP@YOW
You are absolutely right, as I assumed she is US citizen, but I believe if I were to assume her nationality, I would say the character is not European at all. Her grandfather is from Finland and her parents both have very North American accent so likely she, as well as her parents, were born in the US. Her friends also have no idea where the town is so she probably has not returned there much, if at all. That all point to that she is likely a 3rd generation Finnish immigrant, who is trying to reconnected with a LOST past by going back to a home she never belonged. More importantly, the point of the movie is to have a man from East and girl from West to meet in somewhere that connects the two, so for her being European citizen, especially Finnish, would defeat the very core idea of the film, so yes, I do make assumption of her nationality, but it is an educated guess. As for the actress, she can totally do an European accent but did not, so her interpretation of the Novak character is probably also someone raised in the US. (also, you only acquire Finnish citizenship if either of your parents are, so they used grandfather probably to distance Finland and Novak for a reason) But each person's interpretation vary, so I do believe Novak is North American of Finnish descent, but no direct ties to the land as it makes the most sense for me. YMMV.
@beyounged, relax, it's just a movie. Besides, US citizens do have access to the e-gates: https://www.finavia.fi/en/airports/helsinki-airport/services/automated-border-control And they did meet in the Non-Schengen area.
Why was Johnny there so early? Well, obviously he had nothing else to do since his job was canceled, and in the movie you can see how he wanted to shoot people at the airport. Well, not shoot-shoot but photograph ;)
Nice flick, although how it promotes AY or Finavia beats...
@beyounged, relax, it's just a movie. Besides, US citizens do have access to the e-gates: https://www.finavia.fi/en/airports/helsinki-airport/services/automated-border-control And they did meet in the Non-Schengen area.
Why was Johnny there so early? Well, obviously he had nothing else to do since his job was canceled, and in the movie you can see how he wanted to shoot people at the airport. Well, not shoot-shoot but photograph ;)
Nice flick, although how it promotes AY or Finavia beats me.
Is it me or her plane is boarding through the right side in the very first scene?
@Lucky
I bet you haven't seen the video BA and Heathrow made in honour of Freddie Mercury , who used to work at Heathrow as a baggage handler before he became a superstar. It is awesome.
@beyounged: Why do you assume she is (only) a US citizen? She could very well have an EU passport (like Ben, who has both US and German passports). Her grandfather was from Finland, after all.
Furthermore, putting the character aside, the actress (Anne Bergstedt) in real life was actually born in Stockholm, according to IMDB!
Doesn't feel European enough. Needs more Dutch Angles -- and maybe some accordion music.
With so little footage of both plane and airport it's tough to see this as an advertisement for either. It's well done and I love seeing Finland, I lived 6 months in Pietarsaari and loved it there. But it's not really a ringing endorsement of Finnair or the airport...
nice short film, but as an aviation enthusiast and an extremely picky/serious person, I got questions...
Both fly business then why are they meeting in the Schengen area? (gate 10s and 20s area, the smaller part of HEL) You can even see Novak going through the constantly ridiculously crowded bridge to the immigration/shopping area at the end, and if it was peak time she would not make it to the gate given she is...
nice short film, but as an aviation enthusiast and an extremely picky/serious person, I got questions...
Both fly business then why are they meeting in the Schengen area? (gate 10s and 20s area, the smaller part of HEL) You can even see Novak going through the constantly ridiculously crowded bridge to the immigration/shopping area at the end, and if it was peak time she would not make it to the gate given she is US citizen with no e-gate entry. Isn't it better to just have them meet in the lounge which would make sense since everyone flying J would be using the inner side of the non-Schengen lounge. (good chance to feature their decent lounge food too!) Or have them talk while waiting in the ridiculously non-EU citizen immigration line? (it can go for 25 min or more at peak times, except Korean citizens can go through E-lanes.) Also, AY 5 leaves with the early afternoon wave of flights, usually around 2pm, and AY41 leaves around the 5pm Asian wave along with KIX, FUK, PVG, BKK, XIY, CKG, etc, so what was Johnny doing in the airport this early around the JFK flight's boarding time around 1? (I get it, he has to take photographs, but if he had more than 4hr to spare why not try in HEL city center, much better!) Oh also the shot of him walking in would not be a logical place of entry after checking in since it was the side more for short distance gates to TXL/OSL/ARN, etc.
Oh no I am too deep in, ahhhh the pain of being an avgeek... I like the cinematography but when I have been to a place many times, such as HEL, it just took the immersion out every time...
I think the back story on this is Finnair is looking to replicate what Aer Lingus is doing offering a less congested point of transfer to Europe. We all know how bad Heathrow and de Gaulle are as well as the higher costs that come with these huge ports of entry. Another interesting story is both of these have also entered into agreements with AS! With that it gives us on the west coast and real option to travel Europe.
What say you Lucky?