![Aki Kaurismäki](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w185/t0pdsYfLts7p01OBN1P9UHp1Z0l.jpg)
Aki Kaurismäki
Aki Olavi Kaurismäki (Finnish: [ˈɑki ˈkɑu̯rismæki]; born 4 April 1957; Orimattila) is a Finnish film director, screenwriter, producer, editor and actor. He is best known for the award-winning Drifting Clouds (1996), The Man Without a Past (2002), Le Havre (2011), The Other Side of Hope (2017) and Fallen Leaves (2023), as well as for the mockumentary Leningrad Cowboys Go America (1989). He is described as Finland's best-known film director. His is an older brother to Mika Kaurismäki.
After graduating in media studies from the University of Tampere, Kaurismäki worked as a bricklayer, postman, and dish-washer, long before pursuing his interest in cinema, first as a critic, and later as a screenwriter & director. He started his career as a co-screenwriter and actor in films made by his older brother, Mika Kaurismäki. He played the main role in Mika's film The Liar (1981). Together they founded the production company Villealfa Filmproductions and later the Midnight Sun Film Festival. His debut as an independent director was Crime and Punishment (1983), an adaptation of Dostoyevsky's novel set in modern Helsinki. He gained worldwide attention with Leningrad Cowboys Go America (1989).
Kaurismäki's film Ariel (1988) was entered into the 16th Moscow International Film Festival where it won the Prix FIPRESCI. Kaurismäki's most acclaimed film has been The Man Without a Past, which won the Grand Prix and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film category in 2003. 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 film Lights 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 against U.S. President George W. Bush's foreign policy. In 2002 Kaurismäki also boycotted the 40th New York Film Festival in a show of solidarity with the Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami, who was not given a US visa in time for the festival. Kaurismäki's 2017 film The Other Side of Hope won the Silver Bear for Best Director award at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival. 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, in 2022, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023.
Known For | Directing |
---|---|
Most Rating | 6.432 |
Birthday | 1957-04-04 |
Place of Birth | Orimattila, Finland |
Also Known As | Aki Olavi Kaurismäki, 아키 카우리스마키, Аки Каурисмяки, А́ки Ола́ви Ка́урисмяки, 아키 카우리스매키, |
![Aaltra](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/oacJEKUH4czthUvFdfWY2f5FdMy.jpg)
2004
![Aaltra](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/oacJEKUH4czthUvFdfWY2f5FdMy.jpg)
Aaltra
6.3/59
In this pitch black comedy the rivalry between two neighbors escalates into an all out war. Through a maintenance error on a tractor they both end up,...
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Aaltra
![The Worthless](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/hzhN6JADywiaqV1VHSVXe0y4O2F.jpg)
1982
![The Worthless](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/hzhN6JADywiaqV1VHSVXe0y4O2F.jpg)
The Worthless
6.159/22
Manne, Harri, and Ville Alfa are rootless twenty-somethings in search of purpose for their banal lives. After Manne steals a priceless painting from a...
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The Worthless
![The Liar](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/OjJaGjdkynKTjO6M9Rk93w19Am.jpg)
1981
![The Liar](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/OjJaGjdkynKTjO6M9Rk93w19Am.jpg)
The Liar
6.313/16
Talkative, hyperactive young drifter Ville Alfa goes around Helsinki, basically trying to borrow money from friends and strangers by means of an inces...
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The Liar
![Temples of Dreams](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/wZqKhwTo0xBJJ40NRdp3iHTBKtx.jpg)
2015
![Temples of Dreams](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/wZqKhwTo0xBJJ40NRdp3iHTBKtx.jpg)
Temples of Dreams
6.3/3
Documentary about Finnish film theaters - about their past, disappearance and future. And at the same time universal story how cinema is undeniably co...
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Temples of Dreams
![Jonathan Ross Presents for One Week Only: Aki Kaurismäki](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/rr2wK2S8XJUipKuUGWLTd4Mcf8t.jpg)
1991
![Jonathan Ross Presents for One Week Only: Aki Kaurismäki](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/rr2wK2S8XJUipKuUGWLTd4Mcf8t.jpg)
Jonathan Ross Presents for One Week Only: Aki Kaurismäki
0/0
An interview with Aki Kaurismäki, with film clips and comments from colleagues.
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Jonathan Ross Presents for One Week Only: Aki Kaurismäki
![Peter von Bagh](https://movieunlimited.net/assets/no-poster.png)
2016
![Peter von Bagh](https://movieunlimited.net/assets/no-poster.png)
Peter von Bagh
6/1
Piirainen's documentary on the last years of Peter von Bagh.
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Peter von Bagh
![I Hired a Contract Killer](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/p343X7QppeByj9Sz6i003jNkens.jpg)
1990
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I Hired a Contract Killer
6.911/175
After losing his job and realizing that he is alone in the world, a businessman opts to voluntarily end his life. Lacking courage, he hires a contract...
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I Hired a Contract Killer
![Talking with Ozu](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/i18HytO6W5xoSS54AJByfjSb6FP.jpg)
1993
![Talking with Ozu](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/i18HytO6W5xoSS54AJByfjSb6FP.jpg)
Talking with Ozu
6.5/3
A tribute to the legendary Japanese film director featuring the reflections of filmmakers Lindsay Anderson, Claire Denis, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Aki Kaurism...
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Talking with Ozu
![Calamari Union](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/1rS3Rl17upvBEnaUE67lCPowDEs.jpg)
1985
![Calamari Union](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/1rS3Rl17upvBEnaUE67lCPowDEs.jpg)
Calamari Union
6.808/65
A group of men all called Frank—except for one named Pekka—have had enough of life in their working-class neighborhood, so they set off for a better e...
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Calamari Union
![Il était une fois... Le Havre](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/T0jZ0eyJHd8xuRnUTCNoabe4AQ.jpg)
2014
![Il était une fois... Le Havre](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/T0jZ0eyJHd8xuRnUTCNoabe4AQ.jpg)
Il était une fois... Le Havre
6/1
A documentary about the making of Le Havre
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Il était une fois... Le Havre
![Viimeiset rotannahat](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/gxXnV5dE92OfpLaYUEoCOx11Zp7.jpg)
1985
![Viimeiset rotannahat](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/gxXnV5dE92OfpLaYUEoCOx11Zp7.jpg)
Viimeiset rotannahat
5.3/3
Anssi Mänttäri’s low-budget movies with their intimate content have become classics. In this black comedy that takes place in Helsinki in summer the m...
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Viimeiset rotannahat
![A Special Day](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/4MMhKxab3sDx4VrqGnhIMX0kGV3.jpg)
2012
![A Special Day](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/4MMhKxab3sDx4VrqGnhIMX0kGV3.jpg)
A Special Day
6/2
At the 60th anniversary of Cannes Film Festival, 34 famous directors are followed by camera.
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A Special Day
![Huhtikuu on kuukausista julmin](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/bAaQGUuCVOEfQlK7DBZ1Wux4hDy.jpg)
1983
![Huhtikuu on kuukausista julmin](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/bAaQGUuCVOEfQlK7DBZ1Wux4hDy.jpg)
Huhtikuu on kuukausista julmin
4/4
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Huhtikuu on kuukausista julmin
![Bohemian Eyes](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/ufTpfNGCsfdU6qacTV2Q4RAPaDu.jpg)
2011
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Bohemian Eyes
6.7/3
Documentary about the life of Finnish actor Matti Pellonpää.
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Bohemian Eyes
![Ylösnousemus](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/eYLTJyndMdRqHXl21DYC8bhew2V.jpg)
1985
![Ylösnousemus](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/eYLTJyndMdRqHXl21DYC8bhew2V.jpg)
Ylösnousemus
5.5/2
A man fakes his own suicide in order to see how his close ones react.
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Ylösnousemus
![Crítico](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/z1oavqX1H6TVjsz9nr8J9aAlL2F.jpg)
2008
![Crítico](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/z1oavqX1H6TVjsz9nr8J9aAlL2F.jpg)
Crítico
7.868/19
Seventy critics and filmmakers discuss cinema around the conflict between the artist and the observer, the creator and the critic. Between 1998 and 20...
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Crítico
![Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/pjozVQnmZKH0gKbPz8A8OIkkzH.jpg)
1994
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Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses
5.803/38
After years of fame and misfortune in Mexico, the members of the Leningrad Cowboys decide to return to their native village. Their former manager Vlad...
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Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses
![Aki Kaurismäki](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/u1VSoK78gRw5RmMpu5yDlJ9ksUm.jpg)
2001
![Aki Kaurismäki](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/u1VSoK78gRw5RmMpu5yDlJ9ksUm.jpg)
Aki Kaurismäki
5.7/3
Renowned filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki, creator of The Man Without a Past (Grand Prix du Jury, 2002 Cannes Film Festival) and acclaimed films such as Ariel...
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Aki Kaurismäki
![Jackpot 2](https://movieunlimited.net/assets/no-poster.png)
1982
![Jackpot 2](https://movieunlimited.net/assets/no-poster.png)
Jackpot 2
5.1/14
Three young people, two boys and a girl, meet on a Friday evening in an urban post-disaster setting which has brought Helsinki to ruins. The boys' sol...
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Jackpot 2
![Shadows in Paradise](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/nj01hspawPof0mJmlgfjuLyJuRN.jpg)
1986
![Shadows in Paradise](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/nj01hspawPof0mJmlgfjuLyJuRN.jpg)
Shadows in Paradise
7.297/362
Nikander, a rubbish collector and would-be entrepreneur, finds his plans for success dashed when his business associate dies. One evening, he meets Il...
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Shadows in Paradise
![Where Is Musette?](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/e9OvALV6JzZfHZuI7MV7LGVNWY0.jpg)
1992
![Where Is Musette?](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/e9OvALV6JzZfHZuI7MV7LGVNWY0.jpg)
Where Is Musette?
0/0
Documentary filmed on-set during the making of Aki Kaurismaki's "La vie de Boheme"
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Where Is Musette?
![Aki and Peter](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/j6aMPpK6e0wbSwkWTLS44ivq4RK.jpg)
2018
![Aki and Peter](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/j6aMPpK6e0wbSwkWTLS44ivq4RK.jpg)
Aki and Peter
7/1
THE OTHER SIDE OF HOPE is dedicated to filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki’s longtime friend and collaborator, the film critic and festival programmer Peter von...
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Aki and Peter
![Rocky VI](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/yCeabh22fxbiKPhiyWLWYpoRaiA.jpg)
1986
![Rocky VI](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/yCeabh22fxbiKPhiyWLWYpoRaiA.jpg)
Rocky VI
5.713/68
Not to be confused with any of the sequels to Sylvester Stallone's classic Oscar-winning Rocky, this short film from Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki...
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Rocky VI
![Iron Horsemen](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/c9ZMQnERAfVpOfdCbkOVL6S8vsP.jpg)
1995
![Iron Horsemen](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/c9ZMQnERAfVpOfdCbkOVL6S8vsP.jpg)
Iron Horsemen
6/1
Bad Trip, a biker who has been freshly inducted into a gang, flees from them after stealing one of their bikes.
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Iron Horsemen
![Valokeilassa Atte Blom](https://movieunlimited.net/assets/no-poster.png)
2015
![Valokeilassa Atte Blom](https://movieunlimited.net/assets/no-poster.png)
Valokeilassa Atte Blom
0/0
TV document about the Finnish music producer Atte Blom.
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Valokeilassa Atte Blom
![I Am Curious, Film](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/qug8qN13o8WI8t6wm61onAOJbF6.jpg)
1995
![I Am Curious, Film](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/qug8qN13o8WI8t6wm61onAOJbF6.jpg)
I Am Curious, Film
3.5/5
The Scandinavian entry in the BFI's Century of Cinema series of documentaries
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I Am Curious, Film
![The Dinosaur](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/eaiZloljUimQk2dt0o4aoPl9YVP.jpg)
2021
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The Dinosaur
6.8/4
Acclaimed Finnish director Rauni Mollberg made several scandalous yet widely appreciated films. Former co-worker Veikko Aaltonen’s eye-opening documen...
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The Dinosaur
![Cinéma Laika](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/gLBXg2xo2DnJDSLcitarHZNDxq.jpg)
2023
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Cinéma Laika
8/1
In the heart of the Finnish forest, the long-closed foundry of the little town of Karkkila has come back to life thanks to director Aki Kaurismäki and...
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Cinéma Laika
![Plankton Salesmen](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/cNwK4d3ZWHi8xUHpDyvam0qfo9n.jpg)
2017
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Plankton Salesmen
0/0
A nostalgic look at the birth and death of arthouse film distribution in the early 2000s in Russia. The story of the Cinema Without Borders company a...
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