Aki Kaurismaki, Jalmari Helander, Aleksi Salmenperä get public funding

Five years after his Silver Bear in Berlin for The Other Side of Hope, legendary Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki is now officially working on a new feature, set to star
Alma Pöysti (Jussi Best Actress winner for Tove) and Jussi Vatanen (Man in Room 301, Lapland Odyssey). Kaurismäki long-time collaborator, cinematographer Timo Salminen (Le Havre) is also attached.

Filming is due to start late August in Helsinki, according to distributor B-Plan.

Dead Leaves (Kuolleet lehdet) is described as Kaurismäki’s fourth film after his workers trilogy Shadows in Paradise (1986), Ariel(1988), and The Match Factory Girl (1990).

“Each director has their own themes. Tragi-comedy seems to be my own speciality and I am happy to return to the theme of my youth, about the small guy’s struggle against the faceless machine. And himself. Without forgetting humour,” said the director.

The film produced by Kaurismäki’s company Sputnik was just granted €650,000 from the Finnish Film Foundation. The premiere via B-Plan Distribution is scheduled for 2023.

Jerry and Ms. Universe is Helander’s fourth feature after Rare Exports, Big Game and his upcoming mega-actioner Immortal starring Paul Anderson and Jorma Tommila. Penned by the director himself, the new sci-fi adventure about a UFO hunt between a former FBI agent and a hacker was granted €750,000. The feature is produced by the director’s usual partner Petri Jokiranta for Cosmic Snowball.

Master and Man (Viivalla) by Aleksi Salmenperä (White Wall, The Mine, Bad Family) will be the director’s most ambitious project to date, about multi-Olympic gold medallists Paavo Nurmi and Ville Ritola. The two athletes dominated the long-distance running events in the 1920s, and at the 1924 Paris Olympics - Ritola won a record four golds and two silvers.

According to leading media outlet HS, the story of the rivalry between the two men written by Juha Karvanen (Roba) will be told from the perspective of Ritola who was overshadowed by Paavo Nurmi.

The ambitious film produced by Jarkko Hentula and Marko Talli for Yellow Film & TV was granted €953,600.

Niko: Beyond the Northern Lights is the third instalment in the successful animated film series Niko about the little flying Reindeer. The 3D movie will be co-directed by Kari Juusonen and Jørgen Lerdam, based on a script by Juusonen, Marteinn Thorisson and Hannu Tuomainen. The latter is producing alongside Antti Haikala.

The €7.2 million project granted €780,000 from the Finnish Film Foundation, is produced by Animaker in co-production with Anima Vitae, Germany’s Ulysses Filmproduktion, Denmark’s A. Film Production and Ireland’s Moetion Films. Global Screen handles sales (see details CLICK HERE).

Eve’s Call (Eevan lahja) will be directed by Jenni Toivoniemi (Force of Habit, Games People Play) based on her own script, co-written with Ulla Heikkilä (Eden). It’s a horror satire about the young actress Eve who sells her soul to the devil in order to become a part of a community. The project produced by Venla Hellstedt, Elli Toivoniemi, and Jenni Jauri for Tuffi Films was granted €685,000.

The Finnish Film Foundation also supported 10 documentaries including Juha Suonpää’s Lynx Man (Wacky Tie Films) which was pitched at Nordisk Panorama Forum last year, and Carmen by Pihla Viitala about 11 year-old Finnish Romany Carmen, who lives with her grandmother and aunt in the suburb of a small town in Northern Finland. Tuffi Films is producing.

For the full list of support, check: www.ses.fi