Paola Suhonen Premieres Award-Winning 16mm Feature From the Midnight Sun to Eternity
Under the pale glow of Finland’s eternal midnight sun, artist, fashion designer, and award-winning filmmaker Paola Suhonen premiered her new 16mm feature film, From the Midnight Sun to Eternity, on May 16, 2025. The film has already drawn international acclaim, having received festival awards in Los Angeles, New York, Europe, and Tokyo.
Shot entirely on 16mm analog film, Suhonen’s feature is a tender, time-washed Finnish road movie that follows two strangers who meet by chance on a hot highway near the EU–Russian border. As they travel together beneath the endless summer sky, their story unfolds as a meditation on love, self-determination, betrayal, and the quiet hope that keeps us moving forward.
Suhonen chose to film the narrative chronologically, allowing the connection between the characters to develop in real time. This approach creates an unusual intimacy—one that feels discovered rather than performed—deepened by the grain, warmth, and imperfection of analog film.
As the travelers cross Finland’s luminous landscapes—forests humming with light, still lakes mirroring a sky that never darkens, and small towns drifting by like half-remembered stories—the journey becomes both external and internal, shaped by the poetry of the open road and the ache of passing time.
From the Midnight Sun to Eternity has been honored at key festivals across the 2025 circuit, including:
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IndieFEST Film Awards, Los Angeles — Winner, Award of Recognition, Best Feature Film
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New York Film & Female Actress Award — Winner, Best Drama
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Indie European Cinema & Screenplay Festival — Finalist
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Tokyo Women Film Festival — Semi-Finalist
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New York International Women Festival — Semi-Finalist
These accolades celebrate Suhonen’s cinematic signature: analog at heart, emotionally instinctive, and infused with the quiet electricity of northern light.
“A film about the right to self-determination, eternal happiness, the passage of time, and a great betrayal,”Suhonen says. “And also a little about love, making dreams come true, and traveling on the road.”
In keeping with her belief in the democracy of art, Suhonen will bring the film to audiences through 60 free screenings across Finland, inviting viewers to experience analog cinema as a shared moment of connection.
At its core, From the Midnight Sun to Eternity is a love story carried by northern light—a reminder that even beneath skies that never sleep, in eternity, no one is alone.
