Another highlight of this year’s festival is the Finnish feature film DEFIANT (UHMA), which we are proud to present in the presence of its director Visa Koiso-Kanttila. The award-winning filmmaker has a rare gift for portraying the fragile yet defiant inner worlds of young people with striking intensity. Following the screening, there will be a talk with the director and a Q&A with the audience.
DEFIANT (UHMA) · Finland 2025 · 93 min · Original version with English & German subtitles
Director: Visa Koiso-Kanttila · Cast: Ona Huczkowski, Kati Outinen et al.
A gripping drama about Vilma, a teenager who rebels against the authoritarian rules of a group home that fails to address her emotional needs. Torn between rage and the yearning for love, the film explores friendship, trust and the struggle to maintain self-respect in an oppressive environment.
Visa Koiso-Kanttila is an award-winning Finnish director of documentaries and fiction films. His internationally acclaimed works include The Banished (1998), Father to Son (2004) and Portrait of a Man (2010). His first fiction feature Star Boys (2017) was followed by Defiant as his second. Koiso-Kanttila’s films boldly address themes of childhood, family relationships and socially excluded youth. He has also worked as dramaturge, cinematographer and producer on award-winning documentaries by his partner Iiris Härmä.
