Lauri-Matti Parppei’s A Light That Never Goes Out triumphs at Finnish Jussi Awards: “It’s pretty rare to be embraced this warmly by the film industry as a debut filmmaker.”

Lauri-Matti Parppei’s A Light That Never Goes Out (Jossain on valo joka ei sammu) dominated at the Jussi Awards, picking up seven awards out of its 10 nominations, including Best Film.

100 Litres of Gold (100 litraa sahtia), Orenda, Sisu: Road to Revenge (Sisu 2), and Raptures (Rörelser) were also nominated in the same category.

A Light That Never Goes Out, which premiered in ACID at Cannes, also won Parppei awards for Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Original Score. Samuel Kujala won the category Best Leading Performance, and Anna Rosaliina Kauno was named Best Newcomer. The film was also awarded for Best Sound Design, with Juuso Oksala and Yngve Leidulv Sætre getting the coveted white statue.

“I think it’s pretty rare to be embraced this warmly by the film industry as a debut filmmaker, and it was the first feature as a head of department for many of us. I now feel there’s hope in the industry for fresh, bolder films that can be very Finnish, but universal at the same time,” said Parppei, whose gentle, tender drama follows a genius flautist in crisis, finding refuge in the small town where he grew up – and in the joy and chaos of experimental music.

Ilona Tolmunen, who produced for Made, added:

“I’m overwhelmed that we really win seven Jussis – including Best Film. I was truly suprised, because there were many great films last year, and all the other nominees are very experienced producers.”

A Light That Never Goes Out is her first feature as a main producer.

“This film means a lot to me, and it presents a very important reminder about life: Cherish your friends and love the ones around you. And trust your heart,” she said.

“We developed the film for many years, and we got rejected several times, but we never gave up. Getting to Cannes last year was a dream come true, and this was a wonderful addition to that experience. I, Lauri-Matti and our cinematographer Mikko Parttimaa have a strong bond – we can rely on each other in all our ups and downs. I am more than happy that we are already developing our next film, Alone With The Moon (Kukaan ei ole ollut niin yksin kuin me).”

The Best Ensemble award went to Pirjo Lonka and Elina Knihtilä, protagonists of the local box-office hit 100 Litres of Gold, directed by Teemu Nikki (also nominated for Best Director and Best Screenplay) and produced by Jani Pösö for It’s Alive Films. Interestingly enough, Glenn Close and Emily Matthews were also nominated in this category for The Summer Book.

Lonka and Knihtilä, playing two sisters famous for their Finnish beer, ”sahti”, who need to immediately replace the batch they just drank, accidentally of course, also won the Nordisk Film Award, worth €20,000 and handed out in recognition of filmmakers who have significantly elevated the quality of filmmaking and enriched Finnish film culture. Another 100 Litres of Gold star, Ville Tiihonen, won the Best Supporting Performance award.

“The film alternately makes you laugh and touches you, and this is reinforced by brilliant actors – and spiked with sahti,” said Nikki, with Pösö noting:

“I would like to quote presenter Gogi Mavromichalis, who joked that the film ‘deals with topics dear to us Finns, such as alcoholism and trauma’. And hey, our actors won three times at the gala!”

Max Smeds was awarded the Best Cinematography prize for Orenda. Markus Leppälä and Arthur Franck scored a Jussi for Best Editing for The Helsinki Effect. The film, directed by Franck and produced by Sandra Enkvist, Oskar Forstén and Franck for Polygraf, was also chosen as Best Documentary.

“The film is, in its essence, about the importance of slow diplomacy, and unfortunately the geopolitical situation in the world makes this story quite timely. We need slow – as well as quick – diplomacy right now, as much as we’ve perhaps ever needed it,” said Franck.

“On the filmmaking level, The Helsinki Effect offers a somewhat different way of portraying history, at least in comparison with traditional historical documentary filmmaking. I think it keeps the audience on their toes and manages to surprise people. That was at least our aim, and I’ve been told that it succeeds in that aspect. We didn’t reinvent the wheel, but perhaps we created a language of expression that is unique to this film. I am very happy with the end result and that people seem to like it.”

Vilja Katramo and Okku Rahikainen were noticed for Best Production Design for Raptures, while Eugen Tamberg won the Best Costume Design award for Never Alone (Ei koskaan yksin). Cancel was named Audience Favourite.

Jalmari Helander’s hit actioner Sisu: Road to Revenge – a sequel to the 2022 Sisu, with Jorma Tommila as a quiet man set on violent revenge – earned Salla Yli-Luopa an award for Best Makeup and Jussi Lehtiniemi one for Best Visual Effects, with Helander himself named as International Breakthrough of the Year. He’s now working on a First Bloodprequel, John Rambo. There will be blood.

The Lifetime Achievement Award – aka the Concrete Jussi – went to Juha “Jussi” Mäkelä for his long career as a financier and distributor of Finnish films, as well as for his influence on the film industry. Laura Sutinen was noticed for hosting international productions filming in Finland, picking up the Good Deed of the Year Award.

Actor Sherwan Haji, known for his role in Aki Kaurismäki’s The Other Side of Hope (Toivon tuolla puolen) and Tarik Saleh’s Boy from Heaven (Walad Min Al Janna), picked up Best Short Film for directorial effort My Name is Hope.

“Getting this award means more to me than I can fully express. It has restored my faith in the quiet, powerful magic of cinema — its ability to bring people together, to travel across borders, and to speak beyond language, culture, and geography,” said Haji.

“Sixteen years ago, I arrived in Finland carrying nothing but a dream — a fragile, stubborn dream of telling stories. The path was not easy. Making a film rarely is. But when I got the chance, I chose to tell a story set in another land, in another language. With a small group of believers, we built something from almost nothing — I feel deeply grateful to have shared this journey with my incredible team.”

He added: “Today, here I am, holding a Jussi Award — the highest honour a filmmaker can receive in Finland — along with other international recognitions. There are no limits to what we can create when we dare to believe in our dreams.”

The Finnish national film awards, Jussi Awards, have been presented since 1944. The winners are selected by the members of the Filmiaura. This year’s gala took place on March 20.