“Young people are taking the initiative to go for their dreams and start businesses, which wasn’t common when we were young”
– The writer and director of the Finnish series take a look at today’s teenagers – and praise their ambition
l-r: producer Mia Ylönen, director Ima Iduozee and screenwriter Vilja Keskimäki (© Camille Fermon/Canneseries)
In Finnish series Sneakermania, which screened in the short-form competition at Canneseries, young sneakerheads battle it out in Helsinki, chasing glory and influencer dreams. But they might have to choose between friendship and fame. Mohamed El-Waber, Ada Mustonen, Yosef Nousiainen, Jasir Osman, Adja Wade and Mitra Matouf star in the show, written by Vilja Keskimäki, Jani Airiainen, Aleksi Aro-Heinilä and Zakariya Noor and directed by Ima Iduozee.
Cineuropa: There’s a certain energy to the show: it’s fast-paced and dynamic. It immediately wakes you up.
Ima Iduozee: I feel that, when you opt for a comedic tone, you tend to go for a faster pace. Another factor that that influenced the overall tone and the rhythm was knowing from the outset who our target audience was: teenagers. They might have a shorter attention span – we all do – so that informed the pace.
Vilja Keskimäki: From the very beginning, we had these discussions: how do we make a show full of twists and turns that would be as fast as possible? Ima continued with this approach in his directing as well.
Is it harder when you’re already thinking about a younger audience? It’s difficult to catch up with them sometimes.
VK: We spent a lot of time on social media, following influencers and trying to get back into that teenage mindset again. We were reminiscing about when we were younger, and talked about how we used to see the world. Of course, it’s not that different, but teenagers tend to see things in black and white.
II: Language constantly shifts and changes, which is inevitable, but I think some of the themes we explore can be related to by any teenager, regardless of the generation. Am I worthy enough? Am I good enough? All these questions are at the core of growing up for any adolescent. It was interesting to revisit them, because they were so relevant at that stage when you’re still figuring out your place in the society, your community and amongst your peers.
The show is also about ambition. I hate to generalise, but when I was their age, we didn’t talk about success that much.
VK: Of course, it’s not good to always feel under pressure or to compare yourself to others. At the same time, though, so many young people are taking the initiative to really go for their dreams and even start businesses, which wasn’t common when we were young. There’s something wonderful about them taking up space and being themselves at such a young age.
II: When I was a teenager growing up with hip-hop culture and breaking, we were also customizing sneakers and painting jeans, but we never really thought about capitalising off it. These younger generations understand it and take it to a whole new level. I admire that ambition and that courage. I also feel that, with social media and everything becoming more globalised, there are so many different options. I really admire that kind of drive and understanding of how to use the technology at your disposal to your advantage. Obviously, and I’m not saying anything new here, we know about the extremely negative impacts of social media, their addictive nature and the effect it has on people’s psyche or self-esteem. But on the bright side, it opened up so many possibilities. You don’t need validation or an invitation from old institutions. You can really build your own audience and brand.
And can we talk about the shoes? Sneaker culture is such a crazy environment with its own rules and wish lists. Was there anything that surprised you about it?
VK: Like you said, Ima, you used to customise sneakers as well. I didn’t have a hobby like that growing up, but there are a lot of similarities between having a sneaker collection and any kind of fandom. There are big names that do collaborations, and big events that young people go to and queue for hours. They create a community. Similarly, when I was 15, I would queue for hours to see a band I loved. When we started researching this topic, I hadn’t thought about people who collect shoes just to have them on their shelf as decoration and they never actually wear them. That had never occurred to me.
II: At one point, I found it hard to understand why these kids queue for days outside of a sneaker store for a new drop. But certain sneakers are associated with or even designed by artists or musicians, so it’s really that same fan culture at the core of it. Still, I feel like the peak of sneakermania in Finland is already behind us. There’s less focus on expensive designer clothes, and people are more conscious of how they spend their money. This new wave of vintage and thrift wave is more at the centre, which I think is great. It’s a horrible situation when you can’t afford a certain pair of sneakers or an outfit, and you feel left out of your group. That’s what capitalism does to people.
VK: Our characters reflect these different approaches. We have Jay, who represents the older world where brands and money were at the core of your style. And then we have Bee and Ola, who take a more personal and artistic approach to fashion. But five, ten years ago, it was all about brands showing off the money.
You make an important statement about diversity too, but their friendship is an even bigger part of the story. They are changing together.
VK: Ola and Jay went to school together and were tight-knit friends, but then Jay stole an opportunity from Ola and became famous instead of him. There’s a deep love and understanding between them, a real bond, but at the same time there’s a lot of comparison and competition. Then we have new friends and new connections. For a moment, Ola is trying to follow in Jay’s footsteps and that creates conflict. Bee and Sulo can see he’s not being himself.
II: He’s losing his way and values while trying to gain clout and recognition. At the core of what drives Ola is the need to outshine a friend who did him dirty at some point. He has to realise that what matters is not fame, followers or likes, but his friends, with whom he shares this common interest in self-expression and creativity. He must circle back to those values. I’m really happy that, in terms of representation, we had all these different entry points. The characters’ ethnic backgrounds are secondary, because this is not one of the themes we’re looking at. It’s all very organic and it does represent the reality of many Finns who come from immigrant families. For that growing demographic, it’s normal to have friends from all sorts of backgrounds. We’re not underlining it and we’re not preaching. And that’s something I haven’t seen in Finnish TV or cinema before.
