Why Finnish films draw far more domestic cinema audiences than Swedish films

In Finland, Finnish films accounted for around 30 percent of all cinema admissions last year. In Sweden, the corresponding figure was 12 percent.

This is shown by statistics from the Swedish Film Institute, according to SVT .

"You have to make better films that more people want to see. I'm not saying you make bad films, but there is a difference between an audience film and a festival film," Finnish film producer Markus Selin tells SVT.

Finnish cultural journalist Anton Vanha-Majamaa highlights other explanations: lower cinema VAT on tickets than in Sweden and earlier digitalisation of cinemas, which has made it easier to show films even in smaller towns.