INTRODUCTION

Jussi Awards are presented by the Filmiaura Association. Filmiaura’s over 600 members consist of film makers, film distributors, film journalists, cinema operators and other professionals working with Finnish film. The Jussi Award was established by the association for Finnish film journalists, Elokuvajournalistit, in 1944, but the task was transferred in the early 1960s to the Filmiaura Association. The nominees for the Jussi Award are chosen by the Jury of experts together with Filmiaura’s Board. The composition of the Jury changes annually. The Filmiaura Association members choose the winners by means of a secret ballot.

Board members in 2023–2024 are:

  • Riina Liukkonen, chair

  • Samppa Batal

  • Emma Ilves, vice chair

  • Manna Katajisto

  • Minna Lampolahti

  • Hannele Marjavaara

  • Anton Vanha-Majamaa

Apply for a membership

You can apply for a membership in the Filmiaura Association by submitting your informal application at filmiaura@jussit.fi 

The application must indicate the candidate’s experience related to Finnish film. Enter “Membership application/your name” on the email subject line.

Member applications are discussed in Filmiaura’s Board meetings, and the applicant will be informed of the decision after the meeting. The application period is ongoing until further notice.

The applicant confirms the membership by paying the membership fee. The membership fee payment entitles the applicant to vote on the nominees chosen by the Jury in the Jussi Award winner election as well as to enter member events arranged by Filmiaura and the Annual Meeting. A member can also apply for a Board membership in connection with the Annual Meeting. The amount of the membership fee is confirmed annually (at the moment it’s 40€). One membership fee period lasts 12 months, from 1 July to 30 June (as of 2019).

JUSSI AWARD CRITERIA

A film fulfils the Jussi Award requirements if the following criteria are met:

1. The commercial first run of the film and premiere took place in a cinema. The film has been shown daily in public screenings in the Finnish Cinema Association’s member cinemas, excluding festival screenings, preview screenings and VIP screenings, EITHER for the duration of at least one consecutive screening week (seven screening days) in at least three of the ten largest screening municipalities (calculated on the basis of the cinema visits) OR in at least two weekly screenings in at least 12 municipalities including a minimum of five of the above-mentioned ten largest municipalities. The cinema distribution criteria must be fulfilled before television, SVOD, VOD or physical DVD/Bluray release.

2.The film is a feature-length film. A feature film must exceed 72 minutes in fiction and 60 minutes in documentary films.

3. The screening copy of the film is a 35 mm film copy or digital copy that meets the following criteria: 24 or 48 frames per second, the minimum projector resolution 2048 x 1080 pixels, screening format digital cinema conforming to SMPTE 428-1-2006 D-Cinema Distribution Master, image compression jpeg 2000, image and sound quality suitable for commercial, digital cinema distribution. The digital screening copy must be DCI compliant.

4. The film can be regarded as a Finnish film. In a co-production, the film is regarded as a Finnish film a) on the basis of the nationality of the film makers using the European MEDIA programme scoring; the film must achieve 10 out of 19 points or b) on the basis of funding; at least 51% of the funding must originate from Finland. In unclear cases, the Board will decide the matter film-specifically.

5. The film was premiered in a cinema during the calendar year in question.

6. The spoken language of the film may also be other than Finnish. The level of Finnishness in the production of the film is the decisive criteria.

7. Jussi Award nominees can be appointed if there are at least three films fulfilling the Jussi Award nominee requirements in the category.

8. The production or distribution company must confirm the premier date of the film to Filmiaura by 1 October in order for the film to be considered in the Jury meeting and Jussi Award nominee selection. The production or distribution company must submit the information on the cinemas and municipalities the film is screened in as well as weekly screening times to the extent required by the criteria to Filmiaura.

9. The Jussi Award categories are:

  • Film of the year

  • Director

  • Original Screenplay

  • Cinematography

  • Editing

  • Sound Design

  • Musical Score

  • Set Design

  • Costume Design

  • Make-up Design

  • Actor in a leading role

  • Actor in a supporting role

  • Rising Star

  • Audience Award for the Actor of the Year

  • Documentary Film

  • Short Film

Documentary film nominee selection:

Starting from 2023 Documentary film nomination is a two-step process. A jury consisting of people chosen by Filmiaura, Dokumenttikilta and Docpoint Film Festival will take in consideration the films eligible that year. Based on this a short list of 5-8 films is made for the Jussi jury deciding the Jussi nominees for Documentary film.

Filmiaura reserves the right to revise the definition of the Jussi nominee eligibility of the documentary films.

Short film nominee selection:

  1. The maximum duration of the film is 40 minutes

  2. The film is directly eligible for the short listing if the film:

    • has won the Under 30-minute category of the Tampere Film Festival (national or international competition)

    • has made it to the competition series of the Cannes Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, Annecy International Animation Film Festival or Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival

    • has been an Oscar nominee during the competition year

  3. In addition to the films fulfilling the above-mentioned criteria, Tampere Film Festival, Helsinki International Film Festival Love & Anarchy and Espoo Ciné International Film Festival, as well as the Finnish Film Foundation can appoint three nominees for Filmiaura. Finnish short films selected to Nordisk Panorama will also be taken into consideration and Filmiaura will consult other film professionals. Based on this Filmiaura’s Board will short-list 5-8 short films for the Jussi Jury.

  4. Short films that are eligible for the Jussi Award nomination for the year in question are defined on the basis of sections 2 and 3. The Jussi Jury will select the final short film nominees.

    Filmiaura reserves the right to revise the definition of the Jussi nominee eligibility of the short films.

    Filmiaura reserves the right to change the practices.