Cannes: Aki Kaurismäki’s Palme d’or entry Fallen Leaves attracts top distributors

The tragi-comedy starring Alma Pöysti and Jussi Vatanen has been pre-sold to Folkets Bio for Sweden, Arthaus for Norway, Diaphana for France, Lucky Red for Italy, September Film for the Benelux, Eurospace for Japan, A-One for the Baltics, MCF for ex-Yugoslavia, Cinobo for Greece, Cirko for Hungary, Lev for Israel, Midas for Portugal, and Filmcoopi for Switzerland.

Pandora Film will release it in Germany and B-Plan in Finland where the domestic premiere has been set for September 15.

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Produced by Kaurismäki’s Sputnik and Bufo, the director’s fourth instalment in his working-class film series tells of two lonely people who meet by chance at night in Helsinki and try to find their first, only and last love.

Pöysti plays Ansa, the supermarket shelf-stocker and later recyclable plastic sorter and Vatanen is the sandblaster Holappa. Other cast members include Janne Hyytiäinen, Nuppu Koivu, Matti Onnismaa, Martti Suosalo, Sakari Kuosmanen and Alina Tomnikov.

Fallen Leaves which is inspired by the song ‘Les Feuilles mortes’ composed by Joseph Kosma with lyrics from Jacques Prévert, is the only Nordic film selected for this year’s Cannes official programme.

After its Cannes platform, the film will screen at the Midnight Sun Film Festival founded in 1986 by Aki Kaurismäki and his brother Mika Kaurismäki.