Photos: THE SQUIRREL to Make International Premiere at Fantastic Fest
Starring Miro Lopperi and Mimosa Willamo, the sci-fi comedy explores loneliness and connection in a world without nature.
The absurdist sci-fi comedy 'The Squirrel' (Finland's Oscar submission for Best International Film) will have its International Premiere in the main competition at Fantastic Fest at the Alamo Drafthouse on Lamar in Austin, TX on September 20th.

















The film is the second feature written and directed by Finnish filmmaker Markus Lehmusruusu ('Ricky Rapper and the Strongman'). Bufo presents 'The Squirrel,' a science-fiction comedy produced across Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden, described as offering a mix of '2001: A Space Odyssey' crossed with 'Dumb And Dumber.'
The film is produced by Misha Jaari ('Fallen Leaves,' 'The Innocents,' 'Concrete Night') and Mark Lwoff ('Fallen Leaves,' 'The Innocents,' 'Concrete Night'), and executive produced by Mikko Kodisoja ('Last Ride,' 'Puzzle Box,' 'Kraken') and Roosa Toivonen ('The Italian Key,' 'The Legend of Hercules,' 'Mindhunters'). It stars Miro Lopperi ('Aikuiset,' 'The Hole in the Ground,' 'Queen of fing Everything') and Mimosa Willamo ('Aurora,' 'Lake Bodom,' 'Deadwind'), with Director of Cinematography Max Smeds F.S.C. ('Bullet,' 'Goldilocks Zone,' 'When the Comets Came'), and music composed by Freya Arde ('The Hidden Life of Trees,' 'Everyone's Sorry Nowadays').
In the far future, in a sterile world without nature or animals, Pasi (Miro Lopperi), a lonely designer of synthetic pets, unexpectedly discovers the last surviving squirrel. He decides to defy the rules and keep it alive, but things don't go quite according to plan: the squirrel gets depressed, Pasi falls in love, and his carefully controlled life begins to unravel.
About the Film
Tagline: An absurdist sci-fi comedy about loneliness, control and the unexpected ways we find our way back to one another.
Synopsis: In the far future, in a sterile world without nature or animals, Pasi, a lonely designer of synthetic pets, unexpectedly discovers the last surviving squirrel. He decides to defy the rules and keep it alive, but things don't go quite according to plan: the squirrel gets depressed, Pasi falls in love, and his carefully controlled life begins to unravel.
Director Bio
Markus Lehmusruusu is a Finnish writer-director whose films explore the identities we build—and what happens when they no longer feel true. Moving between intimate drama, family cinema and speculative fiction, his work follows people who have lost their sense of belonging and the unexpected paths that lead them back toward connection, empathy and love. His feature Ricky Rapper and the Strongman was the most-watched Finnish film in Finnish cinemas in 2019. His latest feature, The Squirrel, is a science-fiction comedy produced across Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden. He studied law before choosing filmmaking over a legal career.
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