Movies by Arto Halonen

Karmapa - Two Ways of Divinity

Karmapa - Two Ways of Divinity

The main characters of the film are two small boys who share the throne of Karmapa, the highest office of one of Tibetan Buddhism's main sects and the third in line after the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama. As with the Dalai Lama, Karmapa is the same soul which reincarnates in each successor to the office, who is identified by omens, portents and other signs. The Karmapa line actually pre-dates the Dalai Lama's, and their respective importance has alternated in the course of history with either the Karmapa or Dalai Lama holding precedence. Only...

Back Towards Light

Back Towards Light

Marissa, a 25-year-old woman, goes through an unimaginable journey trying to maintain her sense of self after becoming a victim of human trafficking and sex slavery.

When Heroes Lie

When Heroes Lie

A huge doping scandal erupted at the 2001 cross-country skiing world championship in Lahti, Finland, leading to large numbers of disqualifications. Athletes from the host country in particular had made generous use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs. It was to be the precursor of more drug cases at the Winter Olympics a year later in Salt Lake City. When Heroes Lie analyzes the history of doping from the 1970s to the present day, using archive footage and interviews with skiers, coaches and experts.

White Rage

White Rage

About Lauri, and through him the story of other victims of both school bullying and a separate childhood trauma: victims full of white rage, which may lead to school shootings and other extreme acts of violence. The film is also about our society: a society without sufficient understanding or desire to address the emergence of school violence.

Home and Away

Home and Away

Shawn Huff and Ervin Latimer Jr. are the children of African-American basketball players Leon Huff and Ervin Latimer Sr. who arrived in Finland in the 1970s. They have grown up to become Finnish social and political influencers through their fathers' perseverance, ambition and the societal racism that has been passed down through the generations to their sons. The sons channel the experiences of their silent fathers into action and both generations fight for a more equal world.

The Guardian Angel

The Guardian Angel

Copenhagen, Denmark, 1951. Criminal investigator Anders Olsen follows the case of a bank robber who eyewitnesses say appears to have been acting under some kind of trance.

After Us, the Flood

After Us, the Flood

The brilliant young physicist Henrik and his fellow students develop a fusion reactor that produces endless clean energy, potentially saving Earth from environmental catastrophe. The reactor, however, is harnessed for commercial use, and the consequences for the planet and society are devastating. By the year 2064, the world has been ravaged by climate change. The UN succeeds in developing a form of time travel that can return a person's memories and personality to the moment of birth. Henrik is sent back to the past in an attempt to prevent...

A Dreamer and the Dreamtribe

A Dreamer and the Dreamtribe

Temiar Senoi, an indigenous people of Malaysia, live in the realm of unique dream culture. Their exceptionally harmonious and non-violent way of living has been claimed to be a direct result of their dream directed habits. Their sole aim is to exist in balance with nature and fellow man. But the nature is under threat by a massive rain forest logging operation masterminded by the Malaysian government. And the tribe itself is under another, direct threat by the same government, who try to institute "modern" customs among the tribes, including...

Pavlov's Dogs

Pavlov's Dogs

The film is about a psychologist and entertainment industry operator Sergei Knyazev, who organizes parties for rich people and various role-playing games where they can play beggars or take part in duels, for example.