Aki Kaurismäki

Aki Kaurismäki
Kaurismäki in February 2017
Born (1957-04-04) 4 April 1957
Orimattila, Finland
OccupationFilmmaker
SpousePaula Oinonen
RelativesMika Kaurismäki (brother)

Aki Olavi Kaurismäki (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈɑki ˈo̞lɑʋi ˈkɑu̯rismæki] ⓘ; born 4 April 1957) is a Finnish filmmaker. He is best known for films such as Leningrad Cowboys Go America (1989), Drifting Clouds (1996), The Man Without a Past (2002), Le Havre (2011), The Other Side of Hope (2017), and Fallen Leaves (2023).

Early life

Aki Olavi Kaurismäki was born in Orimattila on 4 April 1957. His older brother, Mika, is also a filmmaker. He grew up in Karkkila and graduated with a degree in media studies from the University of Tampere, but did not pursue a career in film immediately; he instead went to work as a bricklayer, dish washer, and postman. His first foray into the film world was as a critic.[1]

Career

Kaurismäki started his career as a co-writer and actor in films made by his brother Mika. He played the main role in Mika's film The Liar (1981). They co-founded the production company Villealfa Filmproductions and the Midnight Sun Film Festival.

Kaurismäki's directorial debut was Crime and Punishment (1983), an adaptation of the Dostoyevsky novel set in modern Helsinki. He gained worldwide attention with Leningrad Cowboys Go America (1989). In 1992, New York Times film critic Vincent Canby declared him "an original, one of cinema's most distinctive and idiosyncratic new artists, and possibly one of the most serious" and said he "could well turn out to be the seminal European filmmaker of the '90s".[2] He has since gone to make films such as Leningrad Cowboys Go America (1989), Drifting Clouds (1996), The Man Without a Past (2002), Le Havre (2011), The Other Side of Hope (2017), and Fallen Leaves (2023). He has been described as Finland's most famous film director.[3]

Style

Kaurismäki is known for his minimalistic style. He has been called an auteur[4][5] as he usually writes, produces, and edits the films he has directed and thus introduces his personal "droll, deadpan" style.[6]

In Kaurismäki's films, the camera is often still.[7] Events are shown in a plain manner and characters are usually left alone facing the consequences. However, despite their tragedies and setbacks, they do not give up and eventually survive.[5]

Much of Kaurismäki's work takes place in Helsinki, of which his view is critical and completely unromantic, with his characters often speaking about how they wish to leave the city. He also uses characters, elements, and settings that evoke the 1960s and 1970s.[5]

Views and opinions

Digital filmmaking

Kaurismäki has been a vocal critic of digital cinematography. In 2012, he said he would never "make a digital film in this life".[8] In 2014, he called it "a devil's invention which destroys human culture as we know it, robs us of our jobs and makes us in the long run slaves".[9] He softened his position later that year, stating, "In order to keep my humble film oeuvre accessible to a potential audience, I have ended up rendering [my work] to digital in all its present and several of its as-yet-unknown forms."[9] However, he maintained that he would opt for traditional 35 mm film "as long as it is possible regarding access to stock and [the] existence of laboratories".[9]

Politics

The political context of Kaurismäki's work is highly influenced by his attitude to Finland's treatment of the working class. In his view, the social and political ramifications of class structures and lack of economic parity render lower-class workers replaceable cogs in an outdated machine.[10]

Kaurismäki has criticised Finland's strict immigration policy. When Iraqi refugees arrived in Finland, he said many people in the country "perceived that as an attack, like a war". He was alarmed by their reaction and decided to make a film, The Other Side of Hope, in an effort to "change the Finns' attitude". He later said of German chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door refugee policy, "I respect Mrs. Merkel. She is the only politician who seems to be at least interested in the problem."[11] In a 2007 interview with film scholar Andrew Nestingen, he said, "The real disgrace here is Finland's refugee policy, which is shameful. We refuse refugee status on the flimsiest of grounds and send people back to 'secure' places like Darfur, Iraq, and Somalia. [We say] 'It's perfectly safe, go ahead.' Our policy is a stain among the Nordic nations. Shameful."[12]

In December 2019, along with 42 other leading cultural figures, Kaurismäki signed an open letter endorsing the British Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership in the 2019 general election. The letter stated that "Labour's election manifesto under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership offers a transformative plan that prioritises the needs of people and the planet over private profit and the vested interests of a few".[13][14]

In May 2023, Kaurismäki spoke out against the potential entry of Finland into NATO.[15]

In December 2023, in the midst of the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, Kaurismäki joined over 50 filmmakers in signing an open letter published in Libération.[16] The letter demanded a ceasefire, an end to the killing of civilians, the establishment of a corridor into Gaza for humanitarian aid, and the release of hostages.[17][18] In May 2025, Kaurismäki and over 350 other film industry figures signed an open letter criticizing the industry's passivity about the war in Gaza.[19] Four months later, he joined numerous others in signing an open agreement with Film Workers for Palestine, pledging not to work with Israeli film institutions "that are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people".[20]

Personal life

Kaurismäki and his wife Paula Oinonen have lived in Lisbon since 1989.[15] He said they moved to Portugal because "in all of Helsinki there is no place left where [he] could place [his] camera", though he has since continued to set his films in Helsinki.[21] His brother Mika also moved to Portugal with his Brazilian wife in the mid-2010s after nearly 30 years in Brazil, but they returned to Finland in 2019.[22]

Kaurismäki co-owns a complex in Helsinki called Andorra, which features a cinema, several bars, and a pool hall with a giant poster of Robert Bresson's L'Argent and the jukebox from Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses.[23] In 2021, he opened a cinema called Kino Laika in his hometown of Karkkila, which was the subject of the documentary Cinéma Laika by Croatian-French director Veljko Vidak.[24]

Filmography

Feature films

Year Title Director Writer Producer Editor Notes
1983 The Worthless No Yes No No
Crime and Punishment Yes Yes No No
1984 The Clan - Tale of the Frogs No Yes No No
1985 Calamari Union Yes Yes Yes Yes Also composer
Rosso No Yes No No
1986 Shadows in Paradise Yes Yes No No
1987 The Final Arrangement No Yes Yes No
Hamlet Goes Business Yes Yes Yes No
1988 Ariel Yes Yes Yes No
1989 Dirty Hands Yes Yes No No TV film
Leningrad Cowboys Go America Yes Yes Yes No
1990 The Match Factory Girl Yes Yes Yes Yes
I Hired a Contract Killer Yes Yes Yes Yes
1992 La Vie de Bohème Yes Yes Yes Yes
1994 Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatiana Yes Yes Yes Yes
Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses Yes Yes Yes Yes
1996 Drifting Clouds Yes Yes Yes Yes
1999 Juha Yes Yes Yes Yes
2002 The Man Without a Past Yes Yes Yes No
2006 Lights in the Dusk Yes Yes Yes Yes
2011 Le Havre Yes Yes Yes No [25]
2017 The Other Side of Hope Yes Yes Yes No [26]
2023 Fallen Leaves Yes Yes Yes No [27]

Documentaries

Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
1981 The Saimaa Gesture Yes Uncredited Uncredited Co-directed with Mika Kaurismäki
1994 Total Balalaika Show Yes Yes Yes
2013 Juice Leskinen & Grand Slam: Bluesia Pieksämäen asemalla Yes Concept Yes Documentary short film

Short films

Year Title Director Writer Producer Editor Notes
1981 The Liar No Yes No No Medium-length film
1982 The Liar 2 No Yes No No
1986 Rocky VI Yes Yes Yes Yes
1992 Shit Happens No No Yes Yes
1996 Employment Agent Yes Yes Yes Yes
2002 Dogs Have No Hell Yes Yes Yes Yes Included in the anthology film Ten Minutes Older - The Trumpet
2004 Bico Yes Yes Yes Yes Included in the anthology film Visions of Europe
2006 The Foundry Yes Yes Yes Yes Included in the anthology film To Each His Own Cinema
2012 Tavern Man Yes Yes Yes Yes Included in the anthology film Centro Histórico

Music videos

Year Title Director Writer Producer Editor
1987 "Thru the Wire" Yes Yes Yes Yes
"Rich Little Bitch" Yes Yes Yes No
"L.A. Woman" Yes Yes Yes No
1992 "Those Were the Days" Yes Yes Yes Yes
1993 "These Boots" Yes Yes Yes Yes
1996 "Always Be a Human" Yes No No No

As actor

Awards and protests

Kaurismäki's film Ariel (1988) was entered into the 16th Moscow International Film Festival where it won the Prix FIPRESCI.[28]

Kaurismäki's most acclaimed film has been The Man Without a Past, which won the Grand Prix and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival[29] and was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film category in 2003. However, Kaurismäki refused to attend the Oscar ceremony, asserting that he did not feel like partying in a country that was in a state of war. Kaurismäki's next film Lights in the Dusk was also chosen to be Finland's nominee for best foreign-language film, but Kaurismäki again boycotted the awards and refused the nomination, as a protest against U.S. President George W. Bush's foreign policy. In 2002 Kaurismäki also boycotted the 40th New York Film Festival in a show of solidarity with the Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami, who was not given a US visa in time for the festival.[30]

Kaurismäki's 2017 film The Other Side of Hope won the Silver Bear for Best Director award at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival.[31] At the same festival he also announced that it would be his last film as a director, although the retirement was short-lived as he began filming another film, Fallen Leaves, which premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.[32] Kaurismäki became the second director, after Paul Thomas Anderson, to win his third FIPRESCI Grand Prix.[33]

List of awards

Cannes Jury Prize
2023 Fallen Leaves[34]
Silver Bear
2017 The Other Side of Hope
Cannes Grand Prix
2002 The Man Without a Past
Cannes Ecumenical Jury Special Mention
1996 Drifting Clouds
Cannes Prize of the Ecumenical Jury
2002 The Man Without a Past
FIPRESCI Award
2011 Le Havre
FIPRESCI Grand Prix
2002 The Man Without a Past
2017 The Other Side of Hope
2023 Fallen Leaves
Jussi for Best Film
2006 Lights in the Dusk
Jussi for Best Debut Film
1983 Crime and Punishment
Jussi for Best Script
1983 Crime and Punishment
1996 Drifting Clouds
2002 The Man Without a Past
2011 Le Havre
Jussi for Best Direction
1990 The Match Factory Girl
1992 La vie de bohème
1996 Drifting Clouds
2002 The Man Without a Past
São Paulo Audience Award for Best Feature
1996 Drifting Clouds

See also

References

  1. ^ Kumar, Arun (17 December 2019). "10 Essential Aki Kaurismaki Films".
  2. ^ "Aki Kaurismäki Finds Laughter in the Dark". TIFF.
  3. ^ C.G. (11 October 2017). "Explaining the Finnish love of tango". The Economist.
  4. ^ Andrew Nestingen (June 2013). The Cinema of Aki Kaurismäki: Contrarian Stories. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-85041-4.
  5. ^ a b c "FilmGoer - Suomi- ja suomalaisuudenkuva Kaurismäen veljesten tuotannossa". www.filmgoer.fi.
  6. ^ Peter Bradshaw (5 April 2012). "Le Havre – review". The Guardian.
  7. ^ Ebert, Roger, The Man Without A Past, Chicago Sun-Times, 27 June 2003. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030627/REVIEWS/306270306/1023 Archived 16 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ ""I am a filmmaker not a pixelmaker" - An interview with Aki Kaurismäki". Phil on Film. 2 April 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  9. ^ a b c "Aki Kaurismäki Crosses the Digital Rubicon". Antti Alanen: Film Diary. 28 March 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  10. ^ laird, zoë (6 October 2014). "An Aki Kaurismaki Film". Medium.
  11. ^ "Filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki takes unusual approach to refugee issue | DW | 29.03.2017". DW.COM.
  12. ^ Rafferty, Terrence (8 December 2017). "The Finnish Director Making the Most Interesting Movies About Immigration". The Atlantic.
  13. ^ "Vote for hope and a decent future". The Guardian. 3 December 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  14. ^ Proctor, Kate (3 December 2019). "Coogan and Klein lead cultural figures backing Corbyn and Labour". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  15. ^ a b Pham, Annika (24 May 2023). "Kaurismäki about war in Ukraine, love, Chaplin, and asparagus". Nordisk Film & TV Fond. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  16. ^ Newman, Nick (29 December 2023). "Claire Denis, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Christian Petzold, Apichatpong Weerasethakul & More Sign Demand for Ceasefire in Gaza". The Film Stage. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Gaza : des cinéastes du monde entier demandent un cessez-le-feu immédiat". Libération (in French). 28 December 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  18. ^ "Directors of cinema sign petition for immediate ceasefire". The Jerusalem Post. 31 December 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  19. ^ "Mark Ruffalo, Guy Pearce, Melissa Barrera and Ralph Fiennes Among 350+ Figures to Sign Letter About Killing of Palestinian Protagonist of Cannes-Bound Doc: 'We Are Ashamed' of Industry 'Passivity' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. 12 May 2025. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
  20. ^ "Film Workers Pledge to End Complicity". Film Workers For Palestine. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
  21. ^ Ralph Eue and Linda Söffker (eds.): Aki Kaurismäki (film: 13). Bertz + Fischer Verlag 2006. Pp. 188-191 (German)
  22. ^ Kotirinta, Pirkko (3 October 2019). "Mika Kaurismäki jätti Brasilian lähes 30 vuoden jälkeen – Sademetsää tuhoavan presidentti Bolsonaron politiikka ajaa kulttuuriväkeä maasta" [Mika Kaurismaki left Brazil after nearly 30 years – President Bolsonaro's rainforest-destroying policies are driving cultural figures out of the country]. Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 4 October 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  23. ^ Gilbey, Ryan (26 May 2017). "Aki Kaurismäki: 'I can watch Marvel movies – if it's Sunday and I'm hungover'". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
  24. ^ Vidak, 2023
  25. ^ "Match Factory picks up Kaurismäki's Le Havre". Cineuropa - the best of European cinema. 17 February 2010.
  26. ^ ""Aki Kaurismaki's Next Film 'The Other Side Of Hope' Gearing Up"".
  27. ^ "Aki Kaurismäki Reveals New Film, First Cast Members". 10 June 2022.
  28. ^ "16th Moscow International Film Festival (1989)". MIFF. Archived from the original on 16 March 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  29. ^ "Festival de Cannes: The Man Without a Past". festival-cannes.com. Archived from the original on 10 October 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2009.
  30. ^ Bohlen, Celestine (1 October 2002). "One Visa Problem Costs a Festival Two Filmmakers". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 September 2008.
  31. ^ Roxborough, Scott (18 February 2017). "Berlin: Aki Kaurismaki Wins Best Director for 'The Other Side of Hope'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  32. ^ "Legendary filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki: There will be no more films". Yle Uutiset. 16 February 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  33. ^ Pölönen, Sakri (23 August 2023). "Kansainvälinen kriitikkojärjestö valitsi Aki Kaurismäen elokuvan vuoden parhaaksi". Helsingin Sanomat. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  34. ^ Peter Debruge (27 May 2023). "Cannes Awards: 'Anatomy of a Fall' Takes Palme d'Or, 'The Zone of Interest' and 'The Pot au Feu' Among Winners". Variety. Retrieved 11 July 2023.

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