immagine gff 2022

GIFFONI FILM FESTIVAL 2022 - 21.30 July

Films

SUPER FURBALL SAVES THE FUTURE

Category: Edition 2022

Super Furball Saves the Future is a new, modern superhero film based on Paula Noronen's popular book series, combining animation and special effects with traditional live action. This time Emilia will be involved in a bee rescue operation in order to preserve diversity in the world. However, to save the bees, Super Furball must first save the school’s worst bully. 

Original Title Supermarsu 2
Category Official Competition
Section Elements +6
Tipology Feature Film
Duration 89'
Production Year 2022
Nationality Finland
Directed by Joona Tena
Screenplay Paula Noronen, Joona Tena
Director of photography Jani Kumpulainen F.S.C.
Editor Jyrki Levä
Animation Director Zero Tuonela
FX supervisor Jussi Lehtiniemi
Special Effects Troll VFX
Production Design Toni Kari
Costume Design Anna Vilppunen
Sound Juha Hakanen
Make up Laura Rantaniemi
Music Panu Aaltio
Main cast Senni Peltoniemi, Lucas Timperi, Lumo Levy, Kaius Österman, Essi Hellen, Eero Ritala
Produced by Marko Talli, Anni Pänkäälä
Production Yellow Film & TV (Finland)
Access

Joona TenaJoona Tena

Joona Tena is a director and screenwriter whose best-known works include the films THE POTATO ADVENTURE, SUPER FURBALL, FC VENUS and BODY OF WATER as well as the award-winning TV series ROBA and NURSES. His previous screenplays include a Finnish Jussi nominated children's film UNNA AND NUUK (screened in Giffoni in 2006) and the international TV co-production ARCTIC CIRCLE.

Director’s statement

“As with the first Super Furball film, we wanted to bring to the screen a fast-paced film that doesn’t underestimate children’s ability to understand modern storytelling or their willingness to reflect even on difficult things. Super Furball has always been quite an ambitious project, and our entire team has wanted to create an exciting and immersive film for the whole family, offering a multi-faceted cinematic experience for both children and adults. The first film was the birth story of Emilia’s super hero career as the Super Furball, but now we jump straight into the adventure. Emilia is now an experienced superhero, but far from being flawless. Just as in Paula's novels, she is otherwise an ordinary schoolgirl, whose lively imagination enlivens even the grayest day into a colorful story. Her adventures are a combination of everyday life and fantasy, child-like innocence and precocious activism. As the parent of a little schoolgirl, I dare say that children in the 2020s know more and are much more aware than their parents or grandparents were at their age. They can’t close their eyes to the media and don’t live in a closed nursery school where life is just about fun and games. So Emilia lives in a reality where she faces the social problems of her home and her circle of friends on a daily basis and the global issues of the adult world are already knocking at the door. And if you have accidentally gotten superpowers from a guinea pig bite, both problems need to be solved.
In this second film, we wanted to continue the theme we started in the first film about nature conservation and children’s friendships, but we didn’t settle for just warming up the old elements of the previous film. We added momentum and humor to the story. We also learned a lot from the previous film and were now able to do all the details better, more spectacularly and more interestingly. Especially in the animations, we took a huge leap forward and they can now stand a comparison with international mega studio movies as well.
However, as a director, I felt it was important that our uniquely Finnish and people-friendly approach is still visible in everything. I also wanted to maintain the often absurd humor that is characteristic of the Super Furball novels. And while the environmental issues in the story are based on reality, the film treats them as a child’s fairy tale-like experience [...]”.

Production
Yellow Film & TV (Finland)

www.yellowfilm.fi

International distribution
Attraction Distribution (Canada)

www.attractiondistribution.ca

Festival contact
The Finnish Film Foundation (Finland)

www.ses.fi