Oiva Lohtander
In 2017 Finland celebrates 100 years of independence. The famous philosopher Bruno is curing his writers' block in Lapland, when he gets an invitation to the President's Grand Ball in Helsinki. The railway systems are frozen and he misses the only plane, but the Laplander Jallu agrees to drive him 1200 km (745 miles) south.
This winter is extraordinary; Moomintroll decides to stay awake to explore the winter instead of hibernating as usually. And winters are certainly totally different than he had imagined. Strangest creatures wander amidst the snowdrifts; midwinter darkness surrounds the Moominvalley, and on top of that, an eccentric guest is soon to appear. This guest requires many measures, and is called Christmas, Hemulen tells to a surprised Moomintroll.
Sari is a young, beautiful and intelligent girl who is busy studying at university,but she suffers from epilepsy and has to face death on a daily basis. Mikko is hersomewhat older university teacher, who is tired of life, and who one day decides toabandon his wife, children and idea of a perfect life. Both characters have been tooscared to live their lives to the brim for too long. But they meet, and in spite oftheir prejudices and reserved natures, they manage to create a dramatic and movingmodern romance which confronts numerous taboos. While the imagery explores theboundary between life and death in a most poetic way, the odd couple's romance istold with both bite and humour. Society - be it in the shape of angry ex-wives,overprotective parents, conservative aunts or embittered colleagues - is doing whatit can to put a spanner in the works."
The story bases on four Finnish brothers, nicknamed 'the Eura Daltons' who received nation-wide notoriety for tearing gas pumps apart when they needed cash. The cast is an impressive one: the brothers are portrayed by Peter Franzen, Lauri Nurkse, Niko Saarela and Jasper Pääkkönen while their really evil father is played by Vesa-Matti Loiri, one of the grand old men of Finnish cinema.
Raid is a mysterious drifter and ex-criminal who comes and goes as he pleases. He has been away from the country for an extended period of time but learns on his return that his ex-girlfriend Tarja has presumably died in a fire that he soon discovers was a larceny. He is also contacted by inspector Jansson, who he knows from the past regarding the murder of a protestor. Raid begins his investigation and soon finds that there's more to the cases than meets the eye.. This movie is a sequel to the very popular Raid TV series.
Raid is based on detective stories by author Harri Nykänen and made into a 12-part series. The story tells about a police officer who has been investigating white-collar crimes is shot dead in a TV-studio. Another policeman takes his own life at his summer home. A young woman, an executive with a powerful electronics concern, also commits suicide. Her embittered father suspects foul play and he invites Raid, the woman's former boyfriend to "make inquiries". Meanwhile, the police are looking for the first killer - and the trail leads inexorably to Raid. Very soon, however, they realise that the guilty party is somewhere else, and the interests of the police and the avenging angel Raid converge. The unholy alliance shows that even those with morals may, to some extent, use immoral means to achieve an end. The Raid series was voted the best TV-programme in Finland year 2000. Tapio Piirainen received an award for best script and best direction. The series was also honoured with a prestigious film award and the Finnish Whodunnit Society's award. The music from the series sold gold and platinum.
Häjyt tells a story of two friends who have a hard time finding their place in the society. Antti and Jussi are released from jail. While they were doing time for bank robbery, the third man involved in the robbery, the one who was not convicted, has become a policeman. He tries to help his friends to settle into the small town in Pohjanmaa, but the boys start a black market liquor business instead. The road seems to lead back to the jail.
Psychiatric patient Elmeri knows about the existence of a gold treasure in Finnish Lapland, hidden there by his late father who somehow managed to capture it from withdrawing German troops on the last days of WW2. His openly gay nurse helps him escape from the mental institution, and the two men slowly find their way up north to reach the gold. On their way, the odd couple meets a cavalcade of even odder characters.
Joulubileet (The Christmas Party) might well be the closest to the ultimate cult movie that the Finnish film industry has ever gotten. The third directorial effort of Jari Halonen, a clearly distinctive voice in the local filmmaking landscape, is a timeless, absurd and at times completely insane piece of masculine comedy rough not only on the edges, but to the core. A story of Mike, just out of prison, and his buddies throwing a Christmas party under the most obscure circumstances is filled with juicy dialogue and plot twists that will definitely make your jaw drop – and have you chuckle for days after.
Short film by Tapio Piirainen that is his diploma work when graduating from TaiK / Department of Film, Television and Scenography.
Simo Kämäräinen, a widowed cottage owner, and his chairman leave with marriage intentions for Juva. A play based on Maiju Lassila's novel.
