Finnair goes Moomins, Blind Channel starts touring and The Summer Book signs Glenn Close

“Still hungry and having fun” is how Metal Talk describes Finnish rocker Michael Monroe. The website talked with the former Hanoi Rocks vocalist about his twelfth solo album, live performances and turning 60.

Two Finnish films, The Gamer and Lynx Man, have been chosen to compete at Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival, or CPH-DOX. The former is set in the psychologically demanding world of e-sport, and the latter follows a man living in the woods with a special relationship with lynxes. Read more on the Finnish Film Foundation website.

ALMA's new album, Time Machine, is coming out on 21 April. Ahead of its release, the Finnish artist sat down with The Line of Best Fit to talk about her journey into music, experiences with stardom, the effects of the pandemic and “the rediscovery of her identity beyond the pop star”.

Mainframe Industries has released a preview trailer for its first title, an MMO role-playing game called Pax Dei. Thor Gunnarsson, CEO of the Helsinki-based video game studio, talked with Polygon about the world they have created and said, “it is designed with human interaction and social play at its heart, and we are aiming to offer some new and innovative ways for our players to come together with friends”.

Glenn Close will star in a film adaption of Tove Jansson's The Summer Book. According to Deadline, the film, directed by Charlie McDowell, is scheduled to start production in Finland this summer. “Seeing that story finally come alive on the big screen will be fantastic and moving on a deeply personal level,” commented Jansson's niece Sophia Jansson.

Finnish metal band Blind Channel has released a new single, Flatline. “This is the beginning of the next chapter of our career. Flatline is Blind Channel on steroids,” the band commented about the song to Chaoszine. The release will be followed by the band’s European tour.

“Arthouse powerhouse” Aamu Film Company has invested in another Finnish production company, Silmu Films, a Variety exclusive reveals. The magazine talked with Aamu's co-owner Jukka Rantamäki and Silmu's founder, Jenni Jauri, about their approach to film-making and future focus. “We produce the kind of content these directors want to make, without pushing them into different directions or genres,” Rantamäki said. 

Gamers in Finland break records at Yahaha's Global Game Jam event. The country's largest hybrid jam site event to date saw 110 gamers create over 80 games in just 48 hours. Furthermore, some of the games have received up to 34 000 plays, writes EuropeanGaming.

“A shooter that's as beautiful as it is difficult.” PC Mag gives Returnal, a third-person shooter game from Finnish developer Housemarque, 4.5 stars and a glowing review. “Overall, Returnal is a great game that's made even better with this PC port, earning it our Editors' Choice award.”

Finnair is celebrating its centenary with a cute couple: Moomintroll and Snorkmaiden. The Moomin duo can be spotted on the bodies of two Finnair A350 planes. These specially decorated aircraft will fly the airline's long-haul routes through 2023.