Finnish composer Panu Aaltio has won the prestigious Nordic Harpa Film Music Award for his score to the film Little Siberia. The award was presented on Saturday, 14 February 2026, during the Nordic Film Music Days held in connection with the Berlin International Film Festival.

Little Siberia is a dark comedy set in the remote village of Hurmevaara, where everyday life is turned upside down when a meteorite crashes through the roof of a car one night.

At the centre of the story is Joel, the village priest and former peacekeeper, who ends up guarding the meteorite in an old museum. While protecting the stone from professional criminals, Joel also tries to solve the greatest mystery of his own life.

“A musical bridge between everyday life and absurdity”

Special recognition was given to Aaltio’s ability to build a musical bridge between the ordinary and the absurd. In the national nomination statement, emphasis was placed on Aaltio’s professionalism and inventiveness, through which he combines modern electronic sound design with traditional Finnish folk music. The result is a unique sonic world that lives and breathes with the story and masterfully shapes the rhythm of the on-screen events.

The international jury, which granted the award, stated the following in its citation:

“Comedy is a difficult and challenging genre for a composer, but the music for Little Siberia succeeds in elevating the film to a completely new level. The score is epic in scale, yet light and buoyant, and its themes unfold through imaginatively layered textures. Musical exaggerations turn to the film’s advantage, helping the absurd story find exactly the right tone. The composition and orchestration combine a wide range of sounds—from folk music to electronic elements—in an excellent way. The result is a soundscape that is imaginative, playful, beautifully executed, and perfectly suited to the film.”

The film is directed by Dome Karukoski and is the first Finnish Netflix original feature film. Based on the novel published in 2018 by Antti Tuomainen, the film is currently available on Netflix. Its original release date was 21 March 2025.

Panu Aaltio’s music for Little Siberia has also been selected as Finland’s entry for the European film and TV music award, the Camille Awards.

About the Harpa Award

The Harpa Film Music Award has been awarded since 2010 to Nordic film composers. Aaltio’s win is Finland’s fourth victory in the history of the award.

The competition is organised in collaboration with Nordic music creator organisations and music export promotion agencies. Finland is represented jointly by Finnish Music Creators and Music Finland.

Members of the International Jury

Kåre Christoffer Vestrheim, Composer and HARPA Award Winner 2025 (NO), Chair
Michael P. Aust, Festival Director, SoundTrack_Cologne (DE)
Erica Procunier, Media Composer, Professor, SCGC Vice President (CA)
Hanna-Greth Peetson, Music Meets Film & Industry@Tallinn (EE)
Christine Aufderhaar, Composer (DE)
Miriam Cutler, Award-winning Film and Media Composer (US)
Matthew Whiteside, Composer, Sync Agent (UK)