TIMO Kaleri Puukko has been mischievously confirming Bulgarian myths about Finland, his native country. When people here ask him about polar bears and penguins he always replies that yes, Helsinki is full of them.

Other preconceptions are not so far off the mark. "People know that we're heavy drinkers, that there's almost no sun in winter, and that we're all depressed. That's totally true and I can even prove it," said Puukko with his characteristically dark humour.

He's the first Scandinavian to study film direction at the Bulgarian Academy of Film and Theatre (NATFIZ) and this has given him a certain amount of prestige. "The support I get there is sometimes embarrassing," he said. Though he has learnt Bulgarian, his tutorials are mostly in English and he was full of praise for the staff. "In Finland I always used to find myself arguing with tutors, but here they're much more open to new ideas and I find them quite inspirational."

His work is mainly influenced by the Scandinavian Dogma group of filmmakers who focus on realism and shun the use of special effects. "I make ugly films and I think the tutors like them," said Puukko. "They are hard for Bulgarians to understand because they are a little bit sick and depressive - but for that reason they are easy for Scandinavians to understand."

Students and staff alike eagerly awaited the first film he produced here but he was not happy with the result. "It was awful," he said. "A complete failure and much too extreme. I think I was trying to be too provocative and now I'm famous for it."

The film dealt with the hypocrisy of religion and featured an alcoholic priest committing incest. In one scene the priest, encouraged by the devil, is seen raping his daughter.

"It was premiered at the academy and people had brought their kids along," said Puukko. "So I suppose it wasn't such appropriate material. It really was awful," he concluded, but admitted that he learnt a lot through his mistakes. "If I make the same kind of film again I will be very sad."

He starts shooting his second film next month and its subject is equally unsettling. It involves a love triangle between a physically handicapped woman, her sister, and a male prostitute. "It'll explore the way that handicapped people satisfy their desires," said Puukko, adding that he is sure the film will be much more successful than his last. His dream is to make a full-length feature film for which he has already written the script.

Puukko is a self-confessed alcoholic workaholic and a friend of his recently commented that he doesn't expect him to live another 10 years. As well as his full time studies he writes screenplays and is recording an album with a Bulgarian group. "We make 'dirty metal' music that gives me a great deal of satisfaction," said the indefatigable Fin.

With dreadlocked hair and beard, his appearance is somewhat unconventional and has attracted a lot of attention that is not always positive. "I noticed it immediately when I first arrived," he said. "I felt like a freak - so many people were turning and staring at me." Now he's got used to it but admits that it's not so nice. "I've started to ignore people. It's easier like that but it's sad because you miss the nice people and are less ready to trust strangers."

Otherwise he enjoys Sofia. He likes the nightlife and the fact that the city is small enough to get around on foot. "The novelty of being in a new place has worn off already," he observed. "I'm quite happy to stay here until my course finishes - but I do miss the clean Finnish air, and lakes. In Finland I always lived near lakes." He recently found a substitute when he visited the Black Sea coast and swam in the sea for the first time in his life. "That was a fantastic experience. I'm even considering buying a small place somewhere close to the sea," he enthused.

People say that the Finns are depressed, but it seems to Puukko that Bulgarians are equally depressed. "They're always saying that life is miserable. The funny thing is that they think Finland is a great place. I tell them to go there, but that there are the same problems everywhere."

"I'm often asked why the hell I came here and I just answer: Why not?"