Shadowland (film)

Last updated
Shadowland
Directed by Otso Tiainen
Produced by Kalle Kinnunen
Cinematography Peter Flinckenberg, Max Smeds
Edited by Mikko Sippola, Jussi Heikkinen
Music by Timo Kaukolampi
Production
company
Release date
  • 2024 (2024)
CountryFinland
LanguagesEnglish, French, Russian

Shadowland is a 2024 Finnish documentary film about an esoteric community in the French Pyrenees, directed by Otso Tiainen. [1]

Contents

The documentary was originally planned to be about filmmaker and occultist Richard Stanley and other members of an esoteric community, called "The Zone," in the French Occitania. During filming, an allegation of past domestic abuse was made against Stanley. Further allegations led the documentarists to follow a new direction for the film. [2]

Director Tiainen stated in an official statement: "We filmmakers started this journey planning to make an elevated documentary with genre film aspirations. The film was supposed to show how an imagined world can mend a broken soul. Soon everything turned upside down. Instead of portraying an artist's rise, fall and glorious rise again, we ended up following his friends and admirers getting lost in a web of manipulation." [3]

Shadowland premiered at Beyond Fest, Los Angeles, in October 2024. [4]

The film is Tiainen's debut as director. [5] It is executive produced by Sam Lake, and produced by Finland's Bufo, also the producers of Aki Kaurismäki's Fallen Leaves . [1]

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 100% based on 10 reviews. [6]

Shadowland was nominated for Best Sound Design at the 2025 Jussi Awards, the most prestigious film awards in Finland. [7]

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References

  1. 1 2 Balaga, Marta (September 27, 2024). "How 'Shadowland' Filmmakers Pivoted to Address Allegations Leveled at Horrormeister Richard Stanley (EXCLUSIVE)".
  2. "BeyondFest 2024 Review: SHADOWLAND, Compelling, Infuriating, And Sobering". ScreenAnarchy. October 11, 2024.
  3. Massoto, Erick (December 11, 2024). "'Shadowland' Trailer Reveals Real-Life Horror Story In Arthouse Documentary [Exclusive]". Collider.
  4. "SHADOWLAND".
  5. "Shadowland". Suomen elokuvasäätiö.
  6. "Shadowland". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  7. https://www.ses.fi/en/story/jussi-film-award-nominees-2025-announced/