REinvent International Sales has picked up the upcoming futuristic drama feature, THE SQUIRREL directed by Markus Lehmusruusu. The film stars Miro Lopperi (Codename: Annika, 2023) in the lead and filming will begin next week and will be taking place in Sweden, The Netherlands and Germany.
THE SQUIRREL is a story about a surprising encounter between an insecure person and a naturally curious animal. Set in an absurd futuristic world, the film treats the contradictions of being human, what it is to be a living, sentient and physical being in a world that strives for extreme purity and efficiency.
CEO of REinvent International Sales, Rikke Ennis says: “This warm-hearted film in which a person completely alienated from nature meets the world’s last living THE SQUIRREL just took my breath away, when I read the script. The originality of this story is amazing and we have great belief in Markus Lehmusruusu and Bufo’s abilities to bring this story to life.”
THE SQUIRREL is a quirky drama set in a futuristic and highly original universe. The film also comments on climate change and the increasing digital takeover of society. Directed by upcoming talent, Markus Lehmusruusu and backed by the seasoned team at Bufo, THE SQUIRREL features rising stars Miro Lopperi (Codename: Annika, 2023) and Mimosa Willamo (Aurora, 2019) in the lead. The film poses questions to the very core of humanity. Are we still human without nature? Can the two function without each other? Wrapped as an absurd utopian drama, THE SQUIRREL will serve as a conversation starter and an important message for future generations.
Synopsis
In the far future, in a sterile world without nature or animals – Pasi, a lonely, compassionate designer of synthetic pets, stumbles upon the last surviving squirrel by chance. He decides to defy the very strict regulations of interaction with what little nature is left in the world and help the squirrel back into its natural habitat. However, when his actions lead to unexpected consequences, Pasi is confronted with a profound dilemma: should he venture into the wild with the squirrel or jeopardize the safety of the bacteria-free world by keeping the squirrel in the sterile world?
The film is written and directed by Markus Lehmusruusu, who states: “The starting point of this film is my own tragic relationship with nature. I love nature and animals, but equally I love my comfortable city life, saturated with technology and alienated from nature in many ways. This observation brought me to the idea: what would a future world look like where there is no more nature or animals at all? And could a person be happy in such a world?”
The film is produced by Finland’s leading quality film production company Bufo, with producers Misha Jaari and Mark Lwoff. Bufo’s international and domestic successes include Aki Kaurismäki’s Fallen Leaves, Khadar Ayderus Ahmed’s The Gravedigger’s Wife and Pirjo Honkasalo’s Concrete Night, as well as the director’s upcoming Orenda, to be released in 2025.
The international co-producers of THE SQUIRREL are Thanassis Karathanos & Martin Hampel for Pallas Film (Germany), Denis Vaslin for Volya Films (The Netherlands) and Lizette Jonjic for Zentropa Sweden. The film has been financed by the Finnish Film Foundation, Deutscher Filmförderfonds, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, Nederlands Filmfonds, Gotlands Filmfond and REinvent Studios, and it is produced in collaboration with Yle.
The film is set to premiere locally in late 2025.
REinvent handles international sales.