Helsinki is designed to allow easy access to nature and everyman's right limits landowners’ right to restrict access to their lands. The air quality is superb, clean water is abundant, and quiet spots of forests and waterfronts are everywhere even in the city center. The city is designed to be walked or biked in – no need to sit in traffic jams breathing in fumes.
The fourth episode of the Helsinki Freedom mini-documentary series features Dean, who moved to Helsinki from UK for a couple of years - and has now stayed for 20 years. Believe it or not, he just loves the feeling of commuting, and competing with car drivers when cycling to work. Dean also shares his thoughts about running and being truly free.
Director: Juho Kuosmanen
Juho Kuosmanen is a Finnish film director who received international recognition for his film The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki. The biopic tells the story of Finnish boxer Olli Mäki and was awarded the Un Certain Regard recognition at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016.
Breathing in Helsinki
"As a director, it is important for me to have freedom in my work. I get to choose quite freely what kinds of projects I direct, in which conditions and with what kind of team. It's a luxury. The working environment plays a huge role on the final result. Coming from a small town, I can see that a big city offers opportunities.
There are many shooting locations to choose from in Helsinki. It is far from a uniform boring landscape, there are maritime sceneries, there is forest, an open city centre, and different districts with their distinct, interesting looks.
Helsinki has many different realities, good air quality and plenty of hobby opportunities. Helsinki is also a tolerant city, with space for difference, space to breathe. Helsinki offers brilliant options for outdoor exercise. You can bike anywhere in the city. The illusion of freedom is present when you are on your bike."
- Juho Kuosmanen
Enjoy beautiful nature in Helsinki
Grid card list
Finland is the most forested country in Europe, thus ensuring that you can reach greenery and the calm of nature within minutes without venturing too far even from the Helsinki centre. Even though Helsinki is the biggest city in the country if you wish to go down to the woods there are plenty of places you can easily reach where you can experience the Finnish forest at its peaceful best.
In Finland we believe that nature is good for you. Being in nature has a positive influence on your physical and mental health, lowering your blood pressure, reducing stress and soothing your mind. Helsinki is one of the few capital cities in the world where the real nature is so close to its inhabitants. You can easily move around the city by bike but the metro is also a great way to get from the city centre out into the nature.
