Filmillä

Filmillä is a Finnish word meaning “on film.” It uses the adessive suffix -llä attached to the noun filmi or film, signaling location on or stored within the physical film medium. In everyday Finnish, filmillä often refers to footage or material that originated from celluloid film rather than from digital sources.

The term appears most commonly in discussions about cinema history, archival material, and restoration work. It is used to distinguish content that exists on traditional film stock from material that has been digitized or shot digitally. For example, a remark like “tallenteet ovat filmillä” indicates that the recordings are on film rather than digital formats. The phrasing can also highlight the aesthetic or material qualities associated with analog film, such as grain or texture.

In modern criticism and journalism, filmillä can be used descriptively to evoke the archival or historical character of footage. It is less common in informal speech, where speakers may simply say “film” or “digitaalinen tallenne,” but it remains a standard term in discussions of preservation, restoration, and film history.

See also: filmi, filmitallenne, elokuva, tallenne, arkistointi.