Aki Kaurismäki | |
|---|---|
 Kaurismäki in February 2017 | |
| Born | (1957-04-04)4 April 1957 (age 68) Orimattila, Finland |
| Occupation | Filmmaker |
| Spouse | Paula Oinonen |
| Relatives | Mika Kaurismäki (brother) |
Aki Olavi Kaurismäki (Finnish pronunciation:[ˈɑkiˈo̞lɑʋiˈkɑu̯rismæki]ⓘ; born 4 April 1957) is a Finnish filmmaker. He is best known for films such asLeningrad Cowboys Go America (1989),Drifting Clouds (1996),The Man Without a Past (2002),Le Havre (2011),The Other Side of Hope (2017), andFallen Leaves (2023).
Aki Olavi Kaurismäki was born inOrimattila on 4 April 1957. His older brother,Mika, is also a filmmaker. He grew up inKarkkila and graduated with a degree in media studies from theUniversity 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]
Kaurismäki started his career as a co-writer and actor in films made by his brotherMika. He played the main role in Mika's filmThe Liar (1981). They co-founded the production company Villealfa Filmproductions and theMidnight Sun Film Festival.
Kaurismäki's directorial debut wasCrime and Punishment (1983), an adaptation of theDostoyevsky novel set in modernHelsinki. He gained worldwide attention withLeningrad Cowboys Go America (1989). In 1992,New York Times film criticVincent 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 asLeningrad Cowboys Go America (1989),Drifting Clouds (1996),The Man Without a Past (2002),Le Havre (2011),The Other Side of Hope (2017), andFallen Leaves (2023). He has been described as Finland's most famous film director.[3]
Kaurismäki is known for hisminimalistic style. He has been called anauteur[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 inHelsinki, 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]
Kaurismäki has been a vocal critic ofdigital 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 traditional35 mm film "as long as it is possible regarding access tostock and [the] existence oflaboratories".[9]
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 criticisedFinland's strict immigration policy. WhenIraqi 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 chancellorAngela 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 likeDarfur,Iraq, andSomalia. [We say] 'It's perfectly safe, go ahead.' Our policy is a stain among theNordic nations. Shameful."[12]
In December 2019, along with 42 other leading cultural figures, Kaurismäki signed anopen letter endorsing the BritishLabour Party underJeremy Corbyn's leadership in the2019 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 potentialentry of Finland into NATO.[15]
In December 2023, in the midst of theIsraeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, Kaurismäki joined over 50 filmmakers in signing an open letter published inLibération.[16] The letter demanded aceasefire, 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 withFilm Workers for Palestine, pledging not to work with Israeli film institutions "that are implicated ingenocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people".[20]
Kaurismäki and his wife Paula Oinonen have lived inLisbon since 1989.[15] He said they moved to Portugal because "in all ofHelsinki there is no place left where [he] could place [his] camera", though he has since continued to set his films in Helsinki.[21] His brotherMika 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 ofRobert Bresson'sL'Argent and the jukebox fromLeningrad Cowboys Meet Moses.[23] In 2021, he opened a cinema called Kino Laika in his hometown ofKarkkila, which was the subject of the documentaryCinéma Laika by Croatian-French director Veljko Vidak.[24]
| 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] |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | The Saimaa Gesture | Yes | Uncredited | Uncredited | Co-directed withMika Kaurismäki |
| 1994 | Total Balalaika Show | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2013 | Juice Leskinen & Grand Slam: Bluesia Pieksämäen asemalla | Yes | Concept | Yes | Documentary short film |
| 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 filmTen Minutes Older - The Trumpet |
| 2004 | Bico | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Included in the anthology filmVisions of Europe |
| 2006 | The Foundry | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Included in the anthology filmTo Each His Own Cinema |
| 2012 | Tavern Man | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Included in the anthology filmCentro Histórico |
| 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 |
Kaurismäki's filmAriel (1988) was entered into the16th Moscow International Film Festival where it won the PrixFIPRESCI.[28]
Kaurismäki's most acclaimed film has beenThe Man Without a Past, which won theGrand Prix and thePrize of the Ecumenical Jury at the2002 Cannes Film Festival[29] and was nominated for anAcademy Award in theBest Foreign Language Film category in2003. 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 filmLights 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 againstU.S. PresidentGeorge W. Bush's foreign policy. In 2002 Kaurismäki also boycotted the 40thNew York Film Festival in a show of solidarity with the Iranian directorAbbas Kiarostami, who was not given a US visa in time for the festival.[30]
Kaurismäki's 2017 filmThe Other Side of Hope won theSilver Bear for Best Director award at the67th 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 the2023 Cannes Film Festival.[32] Kaurismäki became the second director, afterPaul Thomas Anderson, to win his thirdFIPRESCI Grand Prix.[33]
Cannes Jury Prize
2023Fallen Leaves[34]
Silver Bear
2017The Other Side of Hope
Cannes Grand Prix
2002The Man Without a Past
Cannes Ecumenical Jury Special Mention
1996Drifting Clouds
Cannes Prize of the Ecumenical Jury
2002The Man Without a Past
FIPRESCI Award
2011Le Havre
FIPRESCI Grand Prix
2002The Man Without a Past
2017The Other Side of Hope
2023Fallen Leaves
Jussi for Best Film
2006Lights in the Dusk
Jussi for Best Debut Film
1983Crime and Punishment
Jussi for Best Script
1983Crime and Punishment
1996Drifting Clouds
2002The Man Without a Past
2011Le Havre
Jussi for Best Direction
1990The Match Factory Girl
1992La vie de bohème
1996Drifting Clouds
2002The Man Without a Past
São Paulo Audience Award for Best Feature
1996Drifting Clouds
