The Producers

Antti Haase (born 1972) received Film Australia Documentary Award for his AFTRS graduation documentary Clown Doctors. Haase migrated back to Finland in 2001 after studying and working in Australian film industry for 6 years. In 2008 he wrote and directed Portrait of Elli, which was nominated for Sheffield Innovation Award for pushing the boundaries of the documentary form and won the Main Prize at Luleå International Art Biennial. In Nordisk Panorama 2009 Haase received NFTF's Open Source Cinema Development Award for developing the cross-media concept and website for YLE's Storytent. At Docpoint 2011 he launched the book series Todentekoa, in which artists across different art forms write about their documentary based art practice. He's working as a director at Illume Ltd, with which Monsterman was produced.

Making The Film

Way back in the early 1980s I played super hero games with Tomi Putaansuu and other kids from our neighborhood in the magic forests behind the Santa Claus Village of Rovaniemi. I want to understand why I grew up to be an adult, but Tomi never did. For me Lordi is not just a latex clown performing simple hard rock tunes from 1980s. I have found a creative genius and hidden world of beauty, tragedy and comedy behind the mask of my beast friend. In the middle of current hardships Tomi looks a bit like a wounded King Kong collecting all his creative strength for one more fight. Somehow he has always managed to come back like a zombie, each time just a bit stronger, wiser and funnier monster. I have come to realize that Tomi draws his creativity and determination as a multitalented artist from the naiveté of an enfant terrible. During the making of this film I personally want to “grow down” a little and get lost in the raw power of heavy metal. Lordi is ultimately a film about courage to be yourself, even if you happen to be a heavy metal monster from 1980s.