Alli Haapasalo’s Girl Picture dominates Jussi Awards

Girl Picture was celebrated by its peers at Friday’s Jussi film awards ceremony, after its successful 2022 international festival tour that kick started with an audience win at Sundance. Besides Best film and direction, the film won best script (Ilona Ahti, Daniela Hakulinen) and editing (Samu Heikkilä).

More empowering stories from female directors were awarded at the annual Jussi film fête, with the double wins for Anna Paavilainen’s biopic Kikka! (best leading performance and best costume) for Aino Suni’s Heatbeats (best cinematography and music), and Hanna Bergholm’s debut chiller Hatching (best set design and make up).

In the acting categories, Ilkka Heiskanen won best supporting role for JP Valkeappää’s Hit Big, and Stella Leppikorpi best newcomer for Aleksi Salmenperä’s Bubble.

The Cannes Critics Week’s entry The Woodcutter Story by Mikko Myllylahti picked up an award for sound design.

The Jussi awards organisers Filmiaura also handed out the Lifetime Achievement to actor Esko Salminen (Mother of Mine, Once Upon a Time in the North), and the €2,500 ‘Good Deed of the Year Award’ to intimacy choreographer Pia Rickman and actor Saara Kotkaniemi for their joint effort in promoting safety in intimacy scenes.

The €20,000 Nordisk Film Award spotlighting a film’s artistic contribution to Finnish cinema went to the team behind Hatching: cinematographer Jarkko T. Laine, producer Mika Ritalahti, scriptwriter Ilja Rautsi and director Hanna Bergholm.

Finally the audience’s top choice elected by viewers on Elisa Viihde’s platform was Kaitsu Rinkinen’s MC Helper beKINGs produced by Rabbit Films.

Nordisk Film & TV Fond was associated to five Jussi awards for Bubble, Hatching, Hit Big and The Woodcutter Story.

Full list of Jussi Awards 2023

• FILM OF THE YEAR
  Girl Picture (Tytöt tytöt tytöt), producers Leila Lyytikäinen, Elina Pohjola (Citizen Jane Productions)
• DIRECTING
  Alli Haapasalo-Girl Picture
• LEADING ROLE
  Sara Melleri-Kikka!
• SUPPORTING ROLE
  Ilkka Heiskanen-Hit Big (Hetki lyö)
• NEWCOMER IN ACTING
  Stella Leppikorpi – Bubble (Kupla)
• BRIGHT SPOT OF THE SCREEN
  Linnea Leino for her roles in Girl Picture, Witness the Fitness, Lapland Odyssey 4
• SCRIPT
  Ilona Ahti, Daniela Hakulinen-Girl Picture
• CINEMATOGRAPHY
  Kerttu Hakkarainen-Heartbeast (Sydänpeto)
• MUSIC
  JB Dunckel-Heartbeast
• SOUND DESIGN
  Jorma Kaulanen, Peter Albrechtsen-The Woodcutter Story (Metsurin tarina)
• EDITING
  Samu Heikkilä-Girl Picture
• SET DESIGN
  Päivi Kettunen-Hatching
• COSTUME DESIGN
  Tiina Kaukanen-Kikka!
• MAKE-UP DESIGN
  Marina Ritvall, Conor O’Sullivan-Hatching
• DOCUMENTARY FILM
  Karaoke Paradise (Karaokeparatiisi) by Einari Paakkanen, producer Marianne Mäkelä (Napafilms)
• SHORT FILM
  All My Mom’s Phone Calls (Kaikki äitini puhelut) by Iiti Yli-Harja​