The 66th Nordic Film Days Pays Homage to Finnish Actor Kati Outinen
Kati Outinen and Vesa Vierikko in "The Match Factory Girl" (1990). © SES/The Match Factory/Sputnik
Lübeck, Sept. 25, 2024. The 66th Nordic Film Days Lübeck (November 6 – 10, 2024) will dedicate its Homage to actor Kati Outinen. The internationally renowned thespian will receive the festival’s Honorary Award on opening night, November 6, at the Cinestar Filmpalast.
“It is possible to get utterly lost in her face; it tells stories drawn directly from real life” says the festival’s artistic director Thomas Hailer about the choice. “The slightest twitch at the corner of her mouth, or a barely raised eyebrow can reveal the inner life of her heroines. And with that, she puts seemingly marginal characters squarely in our focus.”Born in Helsinki in 1961, Outinen studied at the Finnish Theatre Academy, was a member of Helsinki’s KOM theatre ensemble and made early forays into film. She achieved international renown with her collaborations with director Aki Kaurismäki; she won best actress at the 2002 Festival de Cannes for her role in “The Man Without a Past”. Since then, Outinen has decisively influenced how the world sees Finnish and Nordic cinema. She helped make Nordic films accessible to a broader audience and bolstered the world’s interest in the stories and the stylistic diversity of the region’s moviemaking. In addition to her film work, Outinen acts and directs for the stage.
Kati Outinen herself curated the films that will be shown in the Homage. The NFL will be showing “Shadows in Paradise” (1986), “The Match Factory Girl” (1990), “Drifting Clouds” (1996), "Juha" (1999) and “The Man Without a Past” (2002).
And as the enigmatic island elder, she also features in the mystery series “Isolated” screening in the NFL Series section.
The films of the Homage
Shadows in Paradise / Varjoja paratiisissa
Director: Aki Kaurismäki
Finland 1988, 76 min.
Finnish OV, German subtitles
Love takes a circuitous route in 1980s Helsinki. Ilona works as a supermarket cashier, Nikander at the rubbish collection centre. It takes several tries for these two people, who have settled into their solitude, to find each other.
The Match Factory Girl / Tulitikkutehtaan tyttö
Director: Aki Kaurismäki
Finland 1990, 70 min.
Finnish OV, German subtitles
Young factory worker Iris is looking for love. An almost impossible task in the cold, forbidding world that surrounds her. But Iris doesn't give up - and takes revenge on those who ignore her longings and dreams.
Drifting Clouds / Kauas pilvet karkaavat
Director: Aki Kaurismäki
Finland 1996, 96 min.
Finnish OV, German subtitles
After work, waitress Ilona gets on the streetcar. She greets the driver Lauri with a kiss. He is her husband. They travel home together, happy in their modest everyday life. But unemployment is just around the corner.
Juha / Juha
Director: Aki Kaurismäki
Finland 1999, 78 min.
silent, Finnish subtitles, German subtitles
Lame peasant Juha and his younger wife, Marja, live a modest but contented rural life. One day, Shemeikka shows up, asking for help with his broken-down sports car. Marja follows him to the big city and ends up trapped in a brothel.
The Man Without a Past / Mies vailla menneisyyttä
Director: Aki Kaurismäki
Finland 2002, 96 min.
Finnish OV, German subtitles
A man who has lost his memory and must rebuild his life. A shy Salvation Army worker who captures his heart. A Western in a container settlement on the edge of the city.
The Nordic Film Days Lübeck will run from November 6 – 10, 2024. The entire NFL programme will be announced at a press conference on October 8. Advance ticket sales begin on October 26, 2024.
Complete information about the 66th Nordic Film Days Lübeck can be found at our website www.nordische-filmtage.de, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.
We would like to thank our partners CineStar, STAWAG, Stadtwerke (public utilities) Lübeck, Moinsener, skanbo, Finnlines, Grundstücks-Gesellschaft TRAVE, Convotis, SG Medientechnik, avt plus Mediaservice, Europäisches Hansemuseum and our media partners, broadcaster NDR and the Lübecker Nachrichten newspaper.
