Everything we know about Finland’s film history, we know from the books and films of Peter von Bagh. He discovered his love of cinema in the northern Finnish city of Oulu, where he spent his youth. He saw his first film there at the age of seven, “Scott of the Antarctic”, made in 1948; Carol Reed’s 1953 spy thriller “The Man Between” became the first one he saw twice. Oulu had been badly damaged in the war and back then, the wood, paper and steel industries were still being developed. The rubber boot manufacturer Nokia, to become one of the world’s most influential companies, had not yet arrived in Oulu. Peter von Bagh used a wealth of archival material, including photos, paintings, quotes and contemporary music to draw a loving portrait of a city and a generation on the verge of taking off.