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A feature-length documentary that asks a simple question: how does a country work this well?
I spent five years living in it and one year writing, filming, interviewing, producing and editing.
Together with Lesley Riddoch, we wandered through Finland - its schools, its forests, its history and its silences - trying to make sense of a place that consistently tops the world's happiness rankings, yet rarely shouts about it.
The result is a film about quiet trust, extraordinary resilience, and what the rest of the world might learn from a country that almost wasn't here at all.
From icebreakers to homelessness policy, from the scars of war to the architecture of modern education, this is a love letter disguised as a documentary. It's an antidote to doom-scrolling and proof that some things, somewhere, are genuinely going right.
Subtitled in Finnish. Filmed by two Scots.
The film has sold out venues on tour and is now available to watch online.
trailers and extras
trailers and extras
Lesley Riddoch - co-producer
I’ve made nine films on YouTube - six about the Nordic and Baltic countries - and can honestly say filming with Gavin was a brilliant experience. He’s professional without being obsessive, always alert for the quirky thing that makes interviews authentic, warm and friendly towards everyone PLUS he can walk backwards in Oodi carrying two tripods, three cameras and keep talking. The film we made has had 25 screenings in Scotlsnd with Q&A - Gavin was at the cinema showing in his home town Inverness. Almost all the events in cinemas and community centres have been sold out and I’m now travelling to Belfast for a screening there at the Queens Film Theatre. All his film ideas worked and he poured in energy throughout the filming and editing process. Five stars from me and grateful thanks.
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