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The short film is a poetic horror drama about Irina, a young mother on the run from her poisonous relationship, and her grandmother who has her own wounds too. The film is Donner’s MA film for ELO Film School Finland at 911������.

“It feels really great that a Finnish student film is being recognised at a high international level,” Helmi Donner says. “But here at home, the cuts and misery being inflicted on film art and other culture are infuriating in their short-sightedness.”

Previous Finnish films in La Cinef (formerlyCinéfondation) are To Return Until (2010) by Salla Sorri and The Painting Sellers (2015) by Juho Kuosmanen. The Painting Sellers won the main Cinéfondation Award.

The Lightning Rod is produced by Sandra Enkvist and Hadi Nikzad, and it stars Oksana Lommi, Janina Berman and Samuel Kujala.

A total of 2,700 films were entered for La Cinef, out of which only 16 were selected to the section. Cannes Film Festival takes place May 13–24, 2025.