This Hollywood director chose Finland – here’s why!

Director Riley Stearns’ quirky sci-fi film Dual was selected to screen at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. His decision to shoot it in Tampere, Finland, turned out to be just as spot-on as the film itself.

There is something deliciously unexpected about Riley Stearns’ latest film Dual, about a young woman who clones herself, then has to fight for her life with her genetic double. For many in the film industry, Stearns’ choice of Finland to shoot his movie was just as unexpected – but in a recent interview, he was happy to tell us just how pleased he is with his choice of location.

Seriously, why Finland?

From his home in Los Angeles, Riley Stearns thinks back to when he was searching for the perfect location to shoot his next feature film – Dual, starring Karen Gillan, Aaron Paul, and Beulah Koale. “Originally, when planning the film, we had been looking at Vancouver, Toronto, and New Mexico, but at the time the Covid numbers were spiking, and we were very worried we would be shut down or there would be delays. We already knew of Finland’s reputation for great film crews, and when we saw how well Finland was handling the Covid situation – we thought, this definitely seems like our best bet.”

When Riley and his XYZ production company team arrived in Finland in Summer of 2020 to shoot, the Finnish reputation for transparency proved accurate. “The way Finland was handling Covid was exactly the way the Finns had described it. All proper safety precautions were taken, and yet we never felt hindered by the Finnish protocols.”

High praise for Finnish crews

Obviously, shooting any film in the midst of a global pandemic is challenging in many ways. Yet on the bright side there weren’t a lot of films that were actually shooting at that time, including in Finland, so Stearns’ team was able to choose the best of the best for their production.

“I don’t think a similar-sized crew in the United States would have been able to do what we were able to do, especially given the Covid protocols on set."

As he explains it, “I’m really grateful for this. We had a couple of big technological challenges on the shoot that not every crew is capable of handling well, but our Finnish crew took these challenges in stride. For example, they were masters at ensuring that our techno-dolly operated flawlessly, and we also had our D.I.T. run playback on set, so we could see our lead Karen Gillan acting opposite herself.”

Stearns points out, “I don’t think a similar-sized crew in the United States would have been able to do what we were able to do, especially given the Covid protocols on set. Everything in the film worked as well as it worked because of the crew that we had. In fact, all of our technical departments, make-up, hair, wardrobe – everyone was really focused, so I never had to worry. Quite simply, they were all fantastic.”

DUAL is about a woman (starring Karen Gillan) who, upon receiving a terminal diagnosis, opts for a cloning procedure. Photo: XYZ Films 

Finland – a very giving country

The filming was mainly in Tampere, a college city three hours north of Helsinki, and Stearns recalls fondly how efficient and low-stress it was to work for three months in the heart of Finland. In fact, both he and his cast all say they can’t wait for a reason to come back. “The Finnish mindset of everyone working for the greater good, worked out well for us, both on our film set and also with how relaxed and enjoyable our daily lives were off the set.”

On the practical side, Stearns gives full credit to Business Finland and Film Tampere, who helped with film incentives and made sure his team could get into the country. He also felt very well supported by his in-country production partners, Film Service Finland. “They were our boots on the ground to help us figure out logistics, crew up the film, and get our sound stages together. In short, Finland totally took care of us. Anything that we needed, they made their best effort to get for us. For example, in the US, if I see a gigantic library and want to shoot there, and need to close it to the public for a couple hours, the chance of this happening, especially financially, is pretty unlikely. But in Tampere, if I asked about whether we could shoot someplace, the immediate answer was always, ‘Yes, we’ll make it happen.’

“The Finnish mindset of everyone working for the greater good, worked out well for us, both on our film set and also with how relaxed and enjoyable our daily lives were off the set.”

Asked to sum up his experience as a director choosing Finland – sight unseen – to shoot what turned out to be a celebrated Sundance showcase film, Riley Stearns for a moment sounds almost Finnish in the directness of his reply: “As a director, Finland was a very giving country, and an extremely positive experience overall.”