Film Stills by Malla Hukkanen

Film still photographs, colloquially known as simply stills, are not freeze frames from the film reel, but rather photographers' reinterpretations of scenes. The still photographer steps in with their camera once the scene has been shot. They direct the actors and reconstruct the scene anew. The still photographer's goal is to capture the atmosphere of the scene — and at times of the entire film — into a single image. The photographer works under pressure, as the perfect shot must be taken in just a few minutes.

Marja-Leena “Malla” Hukkanen (b. 1959) has photographed film stills for more than four decades. She is one of the few Finnish photographers who have devoted their entire career to film still photography. Hukkanen is especially known for her collaboration with director Aki Kaurismäki. Altogether, she has photographed stills for over one hundred Finnish films.

According to Hukkanen, she had the privilege to work with “everything laid out” for her. Still images reflect the combined effort of the production teams, i.e. set designers, costume designers, makeup artists, actors, directors, cinematographers and Hukkanen herself. Her photographs demonstrate that film stills are not merely a by-product of a film, but an independent art form that merges the frozen moment of photography with the vitality of cinema into a unique visual language.

In addition to stills, Hukkanen photographed behind-the-scenes moments of the productions, and took the photographs used as props within films. She also worked as a script supervisor, responsible for visual consistency and continuity between scenes.

While still photographs are primarily used for marketing, their significance extends beyond commercial purposes. They often reach a wider audience than the films they represent and create socially shared memories associated with those films. For a long time, the strikingly lighted glass cases near cinema entrances, filled with still photographs, were an attractive and defining element of the modern cityscape. Glamorous close-ups of actors shaped Hollywood’s star culture and influenced ideals of portrait photography on a broad scale. 

Stills have also influenced photographic art. Cindy Sherman, a pioneer of constructed photography, gained international recognition with her series Untitled Film Stills, which borrowed from the aesthetics of still photography. Although her images did not depict real films, they were instantly recognizable, as film stills are an essential part of the DNA of contemporary photography.

The exhibition presents Hukkanen’s series Shadows in Paradise, based on Aki Kaurismäki’s films. Also on display are stills and behind-the-scenes photos from films selected by Hukkanen herself from across her career. 

Additionally, the exhibition features a selection of still photographs from the museum’s collection by Börje Söderholm, taken for Fennada films in the 1950s and 1960s.

The exhibition has been curated by Malla Hukkanen, Max Fritze and Anna-Kaisa Rastenberger.