Rabbit Films: From Finland with Love

“If you hear something that we said but you didn't understand, we were just cursing in Finnish” – Jarno Leppälä in The Dudesons Movie (2006).

In the early to mid-2000s, The Dudesons quite literally crashed onto the global stage with their outrageous pranks and stunts, paving the way for a whole new genre of stunt-comedy. Jackass – the multi-million American reality franchise – were inspired by these four Finnish dudes. They put their small Nordic nation firmly on the international map. What’s even more remarkable is how their legacy has profoundly shaped Finland’s audiovisual sector.

BRAVE BEGINNINGS

Sitting down with Jonathan Tuovinen, Senior Vice President of International at Rabbit Films, it becomes clear that this is a company has come a long way since its first steps: “The Dudesons founded Rabbit Films back in 2001,” Jonathan explains. Over the years, Rabbit Films has evolved into a powerhouse of original, scripted, and non-scripted content, with productions reaching audiences in more than 200 countries. “Today, Rabbit develops formats and distributes them internationally through our own distribution arm.”  What began with an unlikely quartet of small-town pranksters has grown into a far larger Finnish footprint on the world stage. The Dudesons themselves are no longer active in the company, having sold their shares. But the connection remains. “We’re extremely proud of our heritage – and we can’t wait for their second movie, which is planned for release very soon!” Jonathan smiles.

ENTERTAINMENT IN ALL FORMS

Rabbit Films first made its mark by producing series for MTV, quickly becoming Finland’s largest production company at the time. In its early years, the focus was on reality television, with Finnish adaptations of global formats such as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and Saturday Night Live. In 2017, the company expanded into scripted content, producing feature films and drama series. Notable successes include Munkkivuori (Summer of Sorrow for the English audience) that came out in 2022.

The second season of Munkkivuori – this one translated to ‘All the Best Girls’  is set to premiere in the second half of 2025. With support from EU-guaranteed loans through the Finnish Impact Film Fund, Rabbit Films secured an investment of EUR 200,000 to cover production costs. “Thanks to this guarantee, the interest rate of the loan is substantially lower than what is normally charged,” says Jonathan. “In other words: without the loan, Munkkivuori 2 wouldn’t be possible.”

FINLAND ON THE GLOBAL STAGE

“Rabbit Films made a unique strategic choice – we handle our own distribution, while most other production companies rely on centralised units,” Jonathan explains. He joined nearly a decade ago to spearhead the company’s international expansion. “One good thing is that the market has changed so significantly with streaming platforms. It’s now normal for people to watch films and series in languages other than their own.”

Still, Jonathan admits that bringing Finnish culture to global audiences has its challenges. Most of Rabbit Films’ revenue and viewership still comes from Finland. “But I think audiences are gravitating towards strong, authentic stories – and cinema has become a way for them to discover cultures like ours.”

Location: Helsinki, Finland

Financial Intermediary: Finnish Impact Film Fund

SME: Rabbit Films

Sector: audiovisual

Number of employees: 30 / 61 employees according to Sara’s and Denise PPT

Financing purpose:

EIF financing: InvestEU

For further information about EIF intermediaries in Austria, please refer to: https://www.eif.org/what_we_do/where/fi/index.htm