As an autonomous part of the Russian Empire, over 350 films were made in Finland between 1904 and 1917. Producer Karl Emil Ståhlberg and cinematographer Frans Engström from Atelier Apollo were the pioneers of moving pictures.
Suomi-Filmi was founded a few years after Finland's independence, led by Erkki Karu. Frans Ekebom and Kurt Jäger were prominent cinematographers of the silent era. Aho and Soldan was another company producing many short films in the 1920s.
