Building the Future of Storyworlds
Helsinki Film Lab brings together professionals from film, television, games, animation and publishing through specialist training, creative labs and cross-industry IP development.
Upcoming Programmes
Mobile Narrative Game Design for Screenwriters
7 WEEKS | JANUARY-MARCH 2027 | ONLINE
Turn screenwriting skills into stories players can shape.
Learn narrative design through mobile games, from player choice and branching structures to story systems, pacing and interactive character development. Build practical skills and portfolio-ready work without needing a technical background.
5 DAYS | SPRING 2027 | ON-SITE
Leave linear storytelling behind.
Spend five immersive days exploring player agency, worldbuilding and interactive narrative through horror, dystopia and speculative worlds. Develop new storytelling tools, experiment with playable ideas and rethink what a story can become when the audience enters it.
Dark Worlds: Narrative Game Design Retreat
Learn
Courses & masterclasses
Develop practical skills with leading practitioners working across film, television, games and emerging creative technologies.
Experiment
Labs & retreats
Step away from everyday production and explore new tools, storytelling methods and creative disciplines through intensive hands-on programmes.
Connect
Cross-industry collaboration
Meet practitioners from adjacent industries, exchange expertise and build relationships that can lead to new creative partnerships.
Industry experience behind our programmes
Our tutors and guest speakers bring experience from leading studios, companies and organisations including Remedy Entertainment, Rovio, All Hats, Dreamloop Games, Supermassive Games, Anima Vitae, IPR.VC, Business Finland, Singer Studios, Goldilocks, Zynga, Housemarque, Ubisoft… and many more.
Stories move
Audiences move between film, television, games, books and digital worlds. HFL creates spaces where creative professionals can learn from other disciplines, test new ways of working and develop ideas beyond a single format.
For organisations
Looking to explore an IP across new formats, develop cross-industry partnerships or create a tailored professional programme?
We work with publishers, studios, producers, institutions and creative organisations on cross-industry training, prototyping and partnership-building.
Ecosystem Partners
Our story
Helsinki Film Lab was created from a simple observation: people working across film, television, games, animation and publishing often face similar creative challenges, but rarely meet.
We create the spaces, programmes and connections that help ideas travel between industries and give storyworlds the chance to grow beyond a single format.