Finland in Cannes Film Festival: Aki Kaurismäki’s Fallen Leaves competes in Main Category
Cannes Film Festival 2023 gathers film enthusiasts and professionals to the buzzing city starting from May 16. Also Finns travel to France eager to network and find new partnerships whilst showcasing the new and fresh content from the . Towards the end of the week the whole world eagerly waits for the results of the festival’s prestigious awards ceremony. Finns keep their thumbs up for Aki Kaurismäki’s newest film Fallen Leaves which was chosen to compete in the main award category.
Fallen Leaves was picked out from about 2000 film submissions and chosen as the sole Nordic title to compete in the main category of Festival de Cannes this year. Fallen Leaves is a tragi-comedy that is centered around two main characters played by Alma Pöysti and Jussi Vatanen. Film has already been sold to about dozen distributors ahead of its world premiere May 22.
Multi-talent Aki Kaurismäki is the writer and director of the film and he produced it for his company Sputnik together with Bufo co-founders Misha Jaari and Mark Lwoff. Film is made in association with Germany’s Pandora Film, co-financed from Yle, ZDF/Arte, and Finnish Film Foundation. Fallen Leaves will be released by B-Plan Distribution in the fall 2023. World Sales are handled by The Match Factory.
Cannes Film Festival's Official poster - 76th edition © Photo Jack Garofalo/Paris Match/Scoop – Création graphique © Hartland Villa
Docs-in-Progress Scandinavia Showcase: Once Upon a Time in a Forest
Scandinavian Films is the umbrella organization for the Danish Film Institute, Finnish Film Foundation, Icelandic Film Center, Norwegian Film Institute and Swedish Film Institute. Finnish document Once Upon a Time in a Forest (working title) by Virpi Suutarila is one of the four projects presented at Docs-in-Progress Scandinavia Showcase in Cannes May 20, 2023 at 10-11:30. Once Upon a Time in a Forest is produced by Euphoria Film.
Emilia Haukka in Producers on the Move
Producers on the Move -program by European Film Promotion has lifted Finnish Emilia Haukka as one of the 2023 producers. Emilia co-owns Aamu Film Company with Jussi Rantamäki and was one of the producers of Juho Kuosmanen’s Cannes 2021 competition title Compartment No. 6 as well as Mikko Myllylahti’s The Woodcutter’s Story in the Cannes Critics’ Week line-up in 2022 and Tia Kuovo’s Family Time screening at the Berlinale’s Encounters in 2023.
Finnish Films in Short Film Corner at Cannes
- Blush - An Extraordinary Voyage by Iiti Yli-Harja (presented by DOK Leipzig)
- Duck Roast by Jeica Jerinić (presented by the Finnish Film Foundation)
- Gravitating by Heta Okkonen (presented by the Finnish Film Foundation)
- Strangers in the Dark by Perttu Inkilä & Jenni Pystynen (presented by the Finnish Film Foundation)
Networking with Finns in Cannes
Finns organize two networking events during the first week of Cannes festival. The events are invitation only and targeted for those interested in Finland as a location for their future projects or seeking a co-production partners:
- Brunch with Finns, Saturday May 20, organized by West Finland Film Commission, Film in Finland, Åland Film Commission, Film Tampere and East Finland Film Commission.
- Evening party, Sunday May 21, organized by Finnish Film Foundation, supported by Film in Finland, Finnish Film Affair and Audiovisual Producers Finland.
If you are interested in working with Finns in your future projects and thus participating these networking events, please contact the organizing institutes or Film in Finland for more info.
Organizations (link to contacts):
- Film in Finland's Hanna Vuorinen is happy to connect with you during Cannes
- Finnish Film Foundation representatives can be met at Scandinavian House, across the street from Palais des Festivals, on 11 Square Mérimée. Scandinavian House has a Happy Hour every day between 17:30-18:30. Contacts and more about Finnish Film Foundation’s participation at their Cannes website.
- Audiovisual Producers Finland (APFI) is also present in Cannes.
- Finnish Film Commissions in Cannes: Film Lapland, Film Tampere, East Finland Film Commission, West Finland Film Commission, Åland Film Commission
Finnish production companies in Cannes:
Blankface Oy
Nordic Pictures Company
Subzero Film Entertainment
