Frozen Flame Pictures Ltd. is a film production company founded in 2014. The founders are Miika J. Norvanto and Timo Puustinen. From the very beginning, the company’s vision has been to produce international films for international audiences. The company is still headed today by Miika J. Norvanto.
Miika J. Norvanto is a Finnish technology entrepreneur and film producer. He was born in Sweden and has lived most of his life in Finland. He has over 30 years of experience in the IT sector and has been active internationally since 2013. Norvanto has also had a long career as a film producer and distributor of international and Finnish independent films, playing a role in the international rise of Scandinavian genre cinema. He has produced and directed several feature films, short films, documentaries, and television programs.
Among the best-known films produced by Norvanto are Marko Mäkilaakso’s The Creeps (2025), Jesse Haaja’s Rendel (2017) and Rendel: Cycle of Revenge (2024), Joonas Makkonen’s Bunny the Killer Thing (2015), Johannes ei kulje Jämsän kautta (2023), which received a Finnish Jussi Award nomination (the Finnish equivalent of the Oscars), and Gravediggers (2024).
THE CREEPS
The Creeps had its international premiere in Belgium at BIFFF (Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival) on April 11, 2025. Founded in 1983, the festival is one of the world’s largest international fantasy film festivals. Among those attending the international premiere was one of the film’s lead stars, Christopher Lambert, who was knighted at the festival with the title “Knights of the Order of the Raven,” alongside, among others, film director Danny Boyle.
The Creeps was also selected for the Midnight X-Treme section of the world’s most prestigious fantasy film festival, Sitges – International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia. The film was also screened at Latin America’s largest genre film festival, Fantaspoa, in Brazil in April 2025.
The film received positive reviews:
“Marko Mäkilaakso’s darkly comic snowman slasher is a charmingly rough-edged tribute to 1980s cult classics – crafted with great dedication.”
“This film brings joy – it doesn’t try to be serious, it simply wants to provide a fun and enjoyable moment. A true cinematic treat!”
INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS
Norvanto achieved international success when Finland’s first superhero film, Rendel (2017), was released in over 60 countries. Additional international success came from the cult film Bunny the Killer Thing (2015) and Rendel: Cycle of Revenge (2024). Both films received wide international distribution.
The sequel, Rendel: Cycle of Revenge, was released in Germany, the United States, Spain, France, and Finland, among others. At the time of its Finnish release in November 2024, the documentary The Untold Secrets of the Rendel Trilogy (2024) was also released, in which Norvanto, Puustinen, and Lehtosaari openly discuss the challenges related to the film’s production as well as the electricity and stormwater issues faced by Kajawood Studios in Sotkamo.
WORK AS A FILM DISTRIBUTOR
Norvanto has distributed more than 40 films to cinemas. Among the best known are Jussi Award nominees Samurai Rauni Reposaarelainen (2016) by Mika Rättö, Mother (Äiti, 2019) by Samppa Batal, and Drive to Nepal – A Dream Film (Autolla Nepaliin – Unelmien elokuva, 2014) by Timo Peltokangas, which won the Audience Favorite Award (“Audience Jussi”) at the 2015 Jussi Awards.
In addition to independent films, Norvanto has distributed international films to theatres in Finland, including L’immensità (2023), starring Penélope Cruz, and Moominpappa’s Adventures: The Adventures of a Young Moomin (2022).
In May 2023, Norvanto announced that he would stop distributing Finnish independent films and focus in the future on international film productions.
Norvanto also works as a consultant in the international business sector, particularly in data centers and technology development. He serves, among others, in the consulting company Kajawood Investments Ltd. and the technology and real estate investment company Kajawood Ltd.
THE KAJAWOOD PROJECT
Norvanto has been steadily developing his project “Kajawood – The Hollywood of Finland” since 2013. The strategy is to bring filmmakers from around the world to shoot their films at Kajawood Studios in Finland.
The Kajawood Studios project led by Norvanto was announced in October 2020. Kajawood was officially introduced internationally in the summer of 2022 at the Cannes Film Festival. At the same time, Kajawood Studios presented a biographical film project about international fashion mogul Karl Lagerfeld.
In spring 2023, the first phase of Kajawood Studios was completed: Kajawood’s VFX post-production unit, for which 200 employees were recruited internationally. In autumn 2023, international funding secured by Kajawood was announced, and Kajawood’s VFX facilities were presented to the media. Kajawood VFX began its operational activities in 2023.
In autumn 2024, Kajawood’s studios were relocated from Sotkamo due to insufficient electricity supply. Kajawood Studios now continues as a modular concept operating across several different locations throughout Finland.