Halima leads winners at Finnish Film Affair in Helsinki
A 10-year-old Somali girl trying to fit in Finland in 1998 is at the centre of Halima, winner of the Best Fiction prize at Finnish Film Affair.
The award for the film directed by Naima Mohamud was reported by Variety on Sept. 25, as the Helsinki industry meeting closed. Halima is described as the first Finnish feature film directed by a Black woman. It is a first.
The story follows its young title character as she tries to find her place in a new country. Halima is an Irish co-production, according to the Irish Film and Television Network. It was presented in Fiction in Progress, a line-up for features still being finished and shown to buyers and programmers.
It played in that strand alongside Good Times from Pamela Tola and Lapland War from Aku Louhimies. The event’s social feed lists a €3,000 grant from the Finnish Film Foundation attached to the Best Fiction Project award.
Two other projects took top honours. Sauna Diplomacy, by Teenu Niukkanen, won the Best Genre Project award. The film is a Cold War-era comedy, Cineuropa reported.
11 Hours, by Emilie Beck, won the Best Nordic Film Award. The three winners were named among a wide field of Nordic and international titles seeking financing, sales and festival slots.
The 2026 Finnish Film Affair ran Sept. 23-25 in Helsinki, according to the Helsinki industry site. It was the 15th edition of the event. The programme included 38 film and series projects from the Nordics and beyond, with more than 500 attendees expected for the pitching sessions.
What makes this stand out for regular viewers is the timing. These are unfinished films meeting the industry first. Audiences will meet them later, once editing, deals and release calendars run their course.
