02/07/2025 - The Finnish director returns with a story inspired by real women’s lives in a 19th-century asylum on the Turku Archipelago, based on the best-selling novel by Katja Kallio

Director Alli Haapasalo on the set of Tell Everyone (© Ilkka Saastamoinen)

Finnish filmmaker Alli Haapasalo is currently immersed in principal photography for her fourth feature-length fiction film, Tell Everyone (Kerro Kaikille). This historical drama marks a new direction for Haapasalo, as it is her first period film, while she continues to explore her signature themes of young women’s perspectives and emotional resilience in challenging circumstances.

Set in the late 1800s and based on true events, Tell Everyone centres on Amanda, a young drifter declared incurably insane and confined to the women’s ward on Seili Island. Once home to a leper hospital, the remote Finnish island later became the site of a notorious psychiatric institution, where women were often institutionalised indefinitely for reasons ranging from poverty and trauma to non-conformity. The film follows Amanda’s internal journey and her quiet resistance to her fate, while also highlighting the shared experiences of the women around her.

The lead role of Amanda is played by Marketta Tikkanen, a rising talent and second-generation actor, known for her television work. This marks her first lead performance in a feature. The cast includes several prominent Finnish thesps, among them Krista Kosonen (Dogs Don’t Wear Pants [+see also:
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Tell Everyone is based on the best-selling 2017 novel Amanda of the Night (Yön kantaja) by Katja Kallio, who also serves as the film’s screenwriter. Kallio’s novels have previously been adapted into movies, such as Lovers & Leavers by Aku Louhimies and Playing Solo [+see also:
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This is Haapasalo’s first feature since Girl Picture [+see also:
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Principal photography began in June and is taking place entirely in Finland. Key locations include the historic Brinkhall Manor on Kakskerta Island and Seili Island itself, both located in the Turku Archipelago. Seili has only once before been used for a film production – Jaakko Pyhälä’s Days of Grace (1998) – owing to its sensitive history and its status as an environmentally protected area. The production team was granted access by the Turku University Foundation, which manages the island. Finnish DoP Jarmo Kiuru (100 Litres of Gold [+see also:
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Tell Everyone is being produced by Teea Hyytiä, with Suvi Soitinaho as associate producer, for Helsinki-filmi Oy. The project has received support from the Finnish Film Foundation, the Finnish Impact Film Fund, the Nordisk Film & TV Fond, the West Finland Film Commission and SF Studios. Finnish national broadcaster YLE has acquired the television rights. SF Studios holds the Nordic cinema rights and will handle distribution. The film is expected to premiere in Finland in autumn 2026.