Project Feature Film – First Step

"Write a great story, secure funding, gather a team, plan everything, film it, edit it, and find a way to share it with the world."

Sounds simple enough.

In Finland, this process can be especially challenging, particularly for someone without a film school background. Film school was my plan A. In 2019,

during my third attempt, one of the interviewers encouraged me to just start making films. But young, insecure Misael didn’t listen. I applied twice more,

desperate for their approval, but I still couldn’t get in. Then, in 2022, in Redding California, a spark of confidence struck me like a thunderbolt, and for

the first time in my life, I believed I would become a film director and make movies—even without film school. There had to be another way.

So, I started taking the steps—writing scripts in my free time and applying for every fund I could find. A few years passed while I focused mainly on

commercials and music videos, but eventually, it was time to go all in. Still without traditional funding, I had to find another way. That led Janne and me

to start a company. We spent our first year doing commercial work while developing scripts and concepts, then invested everything we had into a film

idea we both believed in. With Janne’s lead we wrote the script together with Tuuti Piippo in a month, made countless calls to get people on board, and

began planning the shoot.

Inspired by Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash approach—creating a short film as proof-of-concept, which then led to funding for the feature—we decided to

follow a similar path. Our feature-length idea, Sanctuary, wasn’t financially feasible, so we created a short film that stands alone but also serves as a

proof-of-concept for our first feature. The short film, Sleep While I Drive, is a shortened and modified version of ACT 1 of the complete script.

And now, it’s finally finished.

None of this would have been possible without the incredible crew and cast who volunteered their time and talent and believed in the story. So many

talented people helped us. Tuuti (co-screenwriter), Anton (cinematographer), and Vesa (producer) were the first people we called when this wild idea

was born. The concept was rough, and I struggled to explain it to them, but somehow, they believed in me, Janne, and the project. All of them said yes.

I’m deeply grateful to everyone who made this project possible—especially Janne. He trusted me completely and agreed to reinvest all our profits into

this venture—my directorial debut in a dialogue- and character-driven short film. I don’t take that for granted. Janne has been the one who believed in

me when I didn't believe in myself, and somehow he still does. Love you, man!

This is the most ambitious project I’ve ever undertaken, and it’s also my best work to date. It’s the first step toward my dream, and I can’t wait to turn

this into a full feature-length film. This year, I'll submit this short film to some film festivals and see what happens. This is the best way Janne and I

could think of to move forward. I'm always open to grabbing a coffee and connecting with people who share the same passion for film, are on the same

journey, or can help me move forward.

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

The path ahead is unwritten—let's see where it takes us.

"Sleep While I Drive" is a short film in its own right and also serves as a proof-of-concept for the full-length feature film "Sanctuary".

GMS presents

Sine Films Production

In Association With Av. San Juan 234

Cast:

Nathaniel Alden

Katrina Rae

Daniel McMullen

Stephen Bathurst

Salomo Ainesmaa

Crew:

Director: Misael Sine 

Producer: Vesa Lindström & Misael Sine

Production Assistant: Emilia Kauppinen 

Excecutive Producer: Janne Amunét

Written by: Janne Amunét, Tuuti Piippo & Misael Sine

DOP: Anton Tevajärvi 

1AC: Eino Antonio & Alexander Richardson

2AC: Dante Mutashar 

Gaffer: Santeri Siirtonen 

Best Boy: Joonas Kurppa 

Grip: Mikko Virtanen

Production Designer: Ina Nordbäck

Make-up and hair: Ida Hakala

Wardrobe Designer: Yoonsik Kim  

Production Assistant: Emilia Kauppinen

Runner: Hilary Magnuson

Editor: Jeremias Nieminen

Colorist: Petri Falkenberg

Sound Designer: Juho Salaterä

Sound Recordist: Juho Salaterä & Anton Stenabb

Sound Mix: Saku Anttila

Sound Editor: Johannes Jalava

Composer: Emil Sana

Title & Graphic Design: Sakari Nordman

Ezra’s Mom (Voice): Danielle Alexander

Ezra’s Dad (Voice): Samu Ainesmaa

Special thanks:

Grade One & Angel Films