Биография

Aki Kaurismäki (1957) is one of Europe’s most acclaimed filmmakers, whose works helped shape the Finnish New Wave. Kaurismäki worked in various odd jobs (as a postman, a dishwasher, a film critic) until he made his documentary directorial debut alongside his older brother Mika (“Saimaa-ilmiö”, 1981). Over the course of four decades, he has taken on a wide variety of roles in film – he has been a director, screenwriter, editor, actor, cinema manager, film festival founder, and a steadfast promoter of Finnish cinema and film culture. He particularly enjoys portraying misfits and eccentrics through a minimalist style and witty humour. Kaurismäki’s tragicomic films have won numerous awards at major film festivals. In 1997, he was the guest of honour at the first PÖFF with his film “Drifting Clouds” (1997), and in 2006 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from PÖFF. In total, Kaurismäki has directed 20 feature-length films and numerous short films.