When Alisha Hasan walks into an industry market—whether in Helsinki, Malta, London, or now Goa—she does so with an unusual mix of Nordic clarity and Indian boldness. “I am definitely not shy,” she laughs. “Some of my Finnish friends ask me, how do you just go and talk to someone? But that’s where I get my boldness from—the Indian side.”
That boldness has shaped one of the most forwardthinking creative careers in Finland today. As the Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Helsinki Film Lab (HFL), Alisha is spearheading a global reimagining of how film, TV, games, animation, and publishing collaborate. And she is doing it at the exact moment when traditional storytelling models are being reshaped by new formats, new markets, and new audience expectations.
This year, Alisha arrived at the Goa Waves Film Bazaar as part of Team Finland’s first-ever official delegation to India—a landmark step in Finland’s cultural diplomacy and creative export strategy. For her, though, the moment was personal: “For the first time, I’m really starting to work with Indian companies at a deeper level—not just on the surface. I’m reconnecting with India professionally as well as personally.”
Her presence also signaled something larger: the rise of Finland as a global transmedia innovator—and Alisha as one of its most distinctive voices.
Alisha’s path to transmedia leadership began in her previous role as Head of Industry at the Finnish Film Affair, the Nordic country’s key international film market. When she joined, the event had no gaming component whatsoever.
“Before I was there, there was no gaming. And currently also they don’t have the gaming focus,” she recalls.
During her one transformative year, she launched innovative transmedia initiatives that would become the seeds of Helsinki Film Lab. Her instinct was simple yet radical: to break the silos separating Finland’s globally successful games sector from its film and television industries.
“I was surprised that no one had done this before—not in Finland, and hardly even globally,” she says. “I met film producers who had never met anyone from the gaming industry, and gaming professionals who had never spoken to anyone from film. That shocked me.”
At a time when producers everywhere were hunting for new revenue models, she saw a bigger opportunity: a complete reframing of how IP is developed, financed, and distributed across formats.
“This isn’t an add-on to your business model. It’s a whole new strategy. You need to build a new perspective from the ground up.”
Her experiments at Finnish Film Affair—the introduction of Finnish Weird, the Film × Game matchmaking event, and curated transmedia dialogues—were so successful that she eventually decided to formalize the work into its own company. Helsinki Film Lab was born.
Today, HFL stands as one of Europe’s most forwardthinking creative laboratories. The vision is crystal clear: to help creators unlock their IP across formats and borders, building expansive storyworlds and long-term creative sustainability. The demand has been explosive—over 150+ creative professionals have passed through HFL’s programmes.
“There is a huge hunger for information, tools, and spaces where people can meet. You can’t create storyworlds in a vacuum.”
Her experience in marketing and licensing at Gutsy Animations’ Moominvalley, collaborating with Rovio on a Moomin puzzle game, served as a pivotal shift in her understanding of how IP truly behaves.
“That was when I really deep-dived into licensing. Moomin is a global IP, and working with Rovio opened my eyes to the potential of transmedia. It connects directly to where we are now.”
It also taught her how openly the gaming sector collaborates—something she now encourages the film world to emulate. “Finnish gaming companies speak openly. They collaborate a lot. The competition is global, not domestic.”
The daughter of a Finnish mother and Indian father, Alisha’s identity is inseparable from her work. She sees global markets not as distant targets, but as natural extensions of her journey.
“In Finland, companies go to Sweden first, then the Nordics, then Europe, then the world,” she notes. “I wanted to reverse that. I contacted the biggest and furthest companies and festivals from day one.”
Her Indian connection gives her both cultural fluency and emotional grounding—especially now, as Finnish and Indian creative sectors begin exploring common ground.
“I love genre—fantasy, sci-fi, dystopian, even protopian futures. And I can’t wait to see what happens when opulent Indian aesthetics meet Finland’s minimalism.”
The Goa Waves Film Bazaar in 2025 marked a historic moment for Finland. For the first time, a united delegation of creative companies—Team Finland—presented the country’s film and gaming sectors to India. Alongside Helsinki Film Lab, Waves Bazaar also witnessed the presence of EARS, Making Movies, and Return Entertainment as Finland showcased its rich filmmaking environments and production incentives up to 40%, alongside its world-renowned gaming ecosystem.
Deputy Consul General Dr. Eva Nilsson said, “Finland offers Indian filmmakers a mix of world-class locations, transparent incentives, and a gaming industry eager to collaborate.”
For Alisha, the delegation validated the mission she has been championing. “Even if Finland is small, there’s enormous innovation happening. And I think India and Finland together can create something truly new.”
As global industries grapple with disruption, Alisha believes the answer isn’t retreat—but reinvention. “We can be depressed about funding, but we must also find solutions. Otherwise it becomes a vicious cycle that affects the stories we tell.”
Her message is clear: Be bold. Break the silos. Reach out across the world.
