Aki Kaurismäki
Aki Olavi Kaurismäki [ ɑki kɑu̯rismæki ] ( born April 4, 1957 in Orimattila, Finland ) is a multiple award -winning Finnish film director.
Life and work
Aki Kaurismäki studied at the Tampere University of Literature and Communication Sciences. In addition to various temporary jobs, such as a letter carrier or in the restaurant business, he was the editor of a university film magazine. In addition, he wrote from 1979 to 1984 film reviews for the magazine Filmihullu. The first script followed in 1980 for the short film The Liar ( Valehtelija ), in which his brother led Mika Director.
Kaurismäki's films often thematize fates of social outcasts in urban centers like Helsinki. They are known not only for their economical dialogues, but also for a bizarre and laconic humor. Kaurismäki works regularly with a fixed strain of friendly actors and musicians that characterize his films stylistically or embossed: Matti Pellonpää, Kati Outinen, Kari Väänänen and Sakke Järvenpää. As a reminder of Alfred Hitchcock Kaurismäki has occasional cameo appearances in his films, as she had also Hitchcock.
In Germany, his films were shown for the first time in 1986 at the film festival Borderland Film Festival in Selb. Aki Kaurismäki led thereby the films The Liar, Calamari Union and Crime and Punishment in person. During the festival, he wrote the screenplay for his film " Shadows in Paradise ", which he in turn presented in person at the Borderland film festival in Selb 1988. This film earned him the international breakthrough. A large part of the soundtrack came from the band Nardis from Erlangen that Kaurismäki had met on the Borderland Film Festival 1986.
Known to the broad German public Finnish director was his attendance at the Berlinale 1988. Great sensation was caused Kaurismäki in the fall of 2006, when he refused, his film Lights in the Dusk Best as official Finnish contribution for an Oscar nomination in the category Foreign Language Film permit, although the drama had been selected by the Finnish film chamber unanimously. Kaurismäki justified his rejection with his represented for years critical stance against the Iraq war the United States.
Together with his brother Mika Kaurismäki, he founded the Midnight Sun Film Festival in Sodankylä Lapland and the rental company Villealfa. This name goes back to the figure Villealfa, the protagonist in the film The Liar. At the same time it is an anagram of Alphaville, a film by Jean -Luc Godard.
In 1989, Kaurismäki emigrated with his wife to Portugal because " give it all over Helsinki no place where he could post his camera still ."
Rainer Gansera, who has spoken for the magazine epd movie with the "Boss melancholic European auteur cinema " in 2006 in Hof, was impressed by his appearance in person, describing atmospheric:
" Well chilled white wine, cigarettes, one after the other, small voice, almost in a whisper, as if he wanted - like a hypnotist - his opponent entirely focus on the incantatory voice. No expressive gestures. [ His films ] are lurching mood Travel:. Ups and Downs, by abysses ( only gradually does one realize that it is mainly the abyss of self-doubt are ) and illuminations, primed by a sharp, dry sense of humor "
As a personal mission statements see Kaurismäki Bresson, Ozu and Godard. The training at film schools in his country he could do not take pleasure positive about it.
With Pandora, the end of 2006, 14 feature films and five short films ( with digitally remastered picture ) published as " Aki Kaurismaki DVD Collection" in four boxes.
In 2011, Kaurismäki again after five years a feature film, Le Havre, ready, for which he received an invitation to compete in the 64th International Film Festival of Cannes. Filmed in France movie is about a shoeshine boy from the same port city who takes care of an illegal refugee child from Africa. Le Havre won the FIPRESCI prize at Cannes.
Filmography
- 2004: Aaltra
- 2012: Estrada de Palha