Young, inventive director who began receiving international recognition in the late 1980s. Kaurismaki's output has ranged from wacky, comic-book style adventures ("Calamari Union" 1985, "Leningrad Cowboys Go America" 1989) to revisionist adaptations of literary classics ("Crime and Punishment" 1983, "Hamlet Goes Business" 1987"), and he has proved himself adept at combining gritty, noir-ish realism with sly, sardonic humor ("Ariel" 1988). Kaurismaki's minimalist style, prolific output and taste for wry melodrama have invited comparisons with filmmakers such as R.W. Fassbinder and Jim Jarmusch.With his brother Mika ("Rosso" 1985, "Helsinki Napoli All Night Long" 1988), and other directors including Pekka Parikka ("Plainlands" 1988, "The Winter War" 1989), Kaurismaki is at the forefront of a burgeoning new wave of Finnish cinema.
Profession(s):
director, screenwriter, producer, Actor, assistant director, critic, mailman, brick layer
Sometimes Credited As:
Aki
Cannes Film Festival Grand Jury Prize "The Man Without a Past" 2002
Jussi Award Best Director "The Match Factory Girl" 1991
National Society of Film Critics Award Best Foreign Film "Ariel" 1990
Jussi Award Best Finnish Film "Shadows in Paradise" 1986
Hong Kong International Film Festival, Special Award "Calamari Union" 1983
Jussi Award Best First Film "Crime and Punishment" 1983
Jussi Award Best First Script "Crime and Punishment" 1983
2006 Wrote and directed "Lights in the Dusk," the last part of Kaurismäki's 'Loser' trilogy
2002 Directed the award-winning "The Man Without a Past" which he also wrote and produced; received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film
1999 Helmed the black and white silent "Juha"
1983 Fiction feature directing and co-writing debut, "Crime and Punishment"
1981 Co-directed (with brother) the rock documentary "The Saimaa Gesture" (also the first Villealfa production)
1980 First film as screenwriter (also actor), "The Liar"; brother Mika's thesis film
Co-founded Villealfa Filmproductions with brother
Co-founded Midnight Sun Film Festival in Sodankyla with brother