Award-winning Film Brings Visitors to Rauma – Filming Locations Now Gathered on a Story-based Map
News
Rauma has received special attention on the big screen this year. Lauri-Matti Parppei’s film A Light That Never Goes Out, which won seven Jussi Awards, has not only achieved success but also attracted visitors to Rauma. The film’s shooting locations can now be found on a digital map, which allows visitors to follow the places seen in the film.
The successful film by Rauma-born director Lauri-Matti Parppei highlights recognisable landscapes in Rauma. The level crossing, the traditional local restaurant Otava and Valtakatu, among others, appear on the big screen. These are not coincidences, but places where Parppei’s own life story and the story of the film have met.
– The places are connected to lived experiences, such as the railroad crossing. At one point, I spent a few weeks in Rauma writing the film. I was completely stuck with the screenplay and walked around the city. When the barrier at the level crossing stopped me physically as well, I broke down. But at the same time, I realised that this moment had to be brought into the film. After that, the work started moving forward again, said Lauri-Matti Parppei in the Rauma resident magazine published in early June.
The City of Rauma’s support also helped make the film possible. For Parppei, it was important that this trust was reflected concretely in the freedom to create.
– It was great that the film was supported, even though the final result can never be guaranteed. The city did not interfere with the work, Parppei says in Rauma magazine.
Residents of Rauma and people across Finland have embraced the film, and visitors have already been seen asking about its filming locations. These locations can now be found conveniently on the visitrauma.fi website and on an interactive digital map. The locations on the map are brought to life with still images and stories from the film.
– The film brought wonderful visibility to Rauma and strengthened our reputation as a city of culture. In a good travel experience, the story meets reality. Now anyone can step into the atmosphere of the film right here in our home surroundings, says Riikka Kaukosalmi, Communications and Marketing Manager at the City of Rauma.
Link to Lauri-Matti’s interview in Rauma magazine 1/2026
Locations on the map
- Otanlahti beach – On the rocks by Otanlahti beach, the film’s main characters Pauli and Iiris shout out towards the sea. The image most used in the film’s marketing was shot here.
- Railroad crossing – The railroad crossing at the beginning of Syväraumankatu is both a recognisable Rauma location in the film and a metaphor for stopping.
- Home street in Old Rauma – Pauli’s home, located at the beginning of Eteläpitkäkatu, is one of the atmospheric historic buildings of Old Rauma. In the film, Iiris drums on the wall of the red house opposite Pauli’s home.
- Restaurant Otava – The film’s musical world opens up at Restaurant Otava, where Iiris performs her cross-disciplinary work.
- Kalatori Square – At the music shop that used to stand by Kalatori Square, the film’s main characters Pauli and Iiris meet and later return to look for equipment for their joint recordings.
- Rauma Art Museum and Hauenguano Square – In the film, the characters visit an exhibition at Rauma Art Museum, where music, visual art and encounters between the characters intertwine. Hauenguano Square in front of the museum is a charming centre of art and culture.
