Laplander Pete Riski Directs Adorable Elf Tale for Lidl

A Christmas elf crash-lands into this highly emotive ad from Lidl Finland, directed by Pete Riski through Director’s Guild Helsinki.

As a young girl sits at the table drawing with her father, something or someone falls past the window and catches her eye. As she steps out into the snow, she finds a young boy, injured on the ground and sneaks him past her parents and into her bedroom. The young boy is given a lavish tea party of Banoffee pie, delicious decadent chocolates and donuts, which he feasts on to rebuild his strength. 

Through the counting down of a wooden advent calendar, we see not only the passing of time but also the rejuvenation of the young boy, as our heroine continues to supply him delicious treats from her parents’ pantry. 

By the time the last drawer is removed from the calendar, the two are fast friends and her parents are understandably unimpressed to discover an empty pantry on December 24th (the time when Finns traditionally celebrate Christmas). 

With a few carefully placed clues by Pete, we even wonder if the boy might be imaginary, until a magical jingle reveals an impressive spread and the fitting strapline, ‘Believe in the Magic of Christmas’. 

Pete comments: "I think the best product shots are the ones which are so naturally part of the story, that you do not even understand that they are product shots. They work best for the viewer, who becomes emotionally engaged to the products through the characters and their story."

Along with his impressive visual narratives, Pete is renowned for his powerful use of music. He muses: "the music is the key to creating something truly emotional that gives a finishing touch to the story and creates a unique feel. I always want to play around with different genres and keep it totally open until the first rough cut. Then we start to try different kinds of tracks and experiment with what creates that extra layer of magic."

The film, created by Folk Finland, was shot in Helsinki over two days and airs in Finland on December 5th. Pete Riski is repped by Director’s Guild Helsinki in Finland with Rattling Stick representing him across all other territories.

Hailing from the city of Rovaniemi in Lapland, Riski comments: "I actually lived right on the Arctic Circle, next to the Santa Claus Village. Of course there’s a lot of snow and just a few hours of daylight at Christmas time. You just want to stay inside and watch movies. Maybe that’s one of the reasons I started to direct in the first place!" 

With the inside scoop on Christmas, we can’t help but wonder if Director Pete Riski might know a little more than he’s letting on…