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RARE Media produces journalism by young people for young people.

RARE Media. From left to right: Jan Huhtanen, Nikke Sillanpää, Atro Lamppu, Orna Ben Lulu ja Vilma Rimpelä. RARE Media.

RARE Media is known for its high-quality, research-based journalism, bold audiovisual style and unique events. It is Finland’s first media outlet belonging to the Council for Mass Media that produces journalism exclusively for social media.

Saastamoinen Foundation supports RARE DOCS <3 IMPACT series. In the series, RARE produces short documentary films about youth social exclusion, social media, and mental health; create social media journalism around these topics; and organize film screenings and events across Finland. The first installment RARE DOCS: The Finnish Paradox, was released in Autumn 2024.

The Finnish Paradox

RARE Media celebrated the premiere of its new short documentary on 5 September 2024. The documentary, titled The Finnish Paradox, was made possible with the support of Saastamoinen Foundation. It explores the current challenges facing Finnish democracy through video and animation.

The documentary questions the state of Finnish democracy in the 2020s and ponders whether “the Finnish Lion” can regain its confidence. RARE’s reporter Nikke Sillanpää asks citizens in the squares and streets what they think about democracy, hears a researcher’s view on the state of democracy and talks to young people about the future of democracy. Simultaneously, Finland’s coat of arms, the Finnish Lion, navigates the challenges of democracy, trying to regain its shaken faith in democracy.

The documentary was distributed through an impact campaign in September 2024. RARE’s campaign included a month-long social media campaign on Instagram and TikTok, as well as a school screening tour in Finnish cities. During the film screenings, the youth shared their thoughts on democracy in a gamified manner, and these ideas were presented to the Finnish Parliament at the end of the tour.

Still image of the Finnish Paradox: RARE Media.

Watch the documentary

Rat Race

The premiere of the film Rat Race was held on October 10, 2025. The film takes viewers through the stories of young people who have experienced societal exclusion, small animated baby rats who have gotten lost in a laboratory, and a still photojournalistic narrative that highlights places of exclusion from different sides of our society. The film creates a dialogue between young people, researchers, and those who work with young people urging the viewer to examine the exclusionary structures of our society eye to eye.

The aim of the film Rat Race is to increase understanding of the factors and societal structures that drive the exclusion of young people. The release of the film also launched an extensive impact campaign on social media, at screenings, and in educational institutions. The aim of the campaign is to increase young people’s agency and help them process the themes of the film.

The production was made possible by Saastamoinen Foundation, The foundation
Brita Maria Renlunds minne sr. and The Committee for Public Information.

Still-image of the Rat Race: RARE Media.

Watch the documentary