FINLAND'S OFFICIAL ENTRY TO THE 2012 ACADEMY AWARDS
WINNER OF FIPRESCI PRIZE AT THE 2011 FESTIVAL DE CANNES
DESCRIPTION
In the French harbor city that gives the film its name, bohemian shoe-shiner Marcel Marx (André Wilms) lives modestly with his wife Arletty (Kati Outinen) and dog Laika. Discovering a young African refugee named Idrissa (Blondin Miguel), Marcel hides the boy from police Inspector Monet (Jean-Pierre Darroussin) and attempts to send him to his mother in London, across the Channel. This "political fairy tale" from director Aki Kaurismäki is in French, but it's warmhearted, eccentric and enriched by the Finnish filmmaker's humanism and characteristically deadpan sense of humor. The participation of veteran actors Jean-Pierre Léaud and Pierre Étaix is a nod to classic French cinema, and Kaurismäki's treatment of economic and immigration issues reflects his compassion for people who exist on society's fringes.
Hollywood Reporter called it "a tender, warm embrace to those who find themselves rootless."
- 2011 Festival de Cannes, FIPRESCI Prize winner
- 4 nominations at European Film Awards, including Best Film
- 2011 Munich Film Festival, Arri-Zeiss-Award winner
- 2011 Toronto International Film Festival official selection
- 2011 Chicago International Film Festival Gold Hugo Award winner
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Aki Kaurismäki was born in Orimattila, Finland. His early work was featured in the Festival’s 1988 Spotlight programme. His feature films include Crime and Punishment (83), Calamari Union (85), Shadows in Paradise (86), Hamlet Goes Business (87), Ariel (88), Leningrad Cowboys Go America (89), The Match Factory Girl (90), I Hired a Contract Killer (90), La Vie de Bohème (92), Total Balalaika Show (94), Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatjana (94), Drifting Clouds (96), Juha (99), The Man Without a Past (02), Lights in the Dusk (06) and Le Havre (11). --Toronto International Film Festival
Director-Writer: Aki Kaurismäki Producer: Karl Baumgartner, Reinhard Brundig, Fabienne Vonier, Aki Kaurismäki Cinematographer: Timo Salminen Editor: Timo Linnasalo Music: - Sound: Tero Malmberg Principal Cast: André Wilms, Kati Outinen, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Blondin Miguel, Elina Salo
