Moomins and Reindeerspotting premiere on Croisette
by Annika Pham
Tonight, the world established Finnish classics for children the Moomins featured in Maria Lindberg’s stereoscopic 3D film Moomins and the Comet Case [+see also:
trailer
film profile], will have a red carpet world premiere at Cannes. A handful of other Finnish films are premiering on the Croisette, such as Juho Kuosmanen’s The Painting Sellers, selected for the Cinéfondation, and the documentary hit Reindeerspotting.
The world renowned Moomins characters created by Finnish author Tove Jansson are hanging in NonStop Sales’ office at 55 La Croisette and their iconic figures are decorating the pages of the trade press. Some of the Scandinavian stars lending their voices to the characters in Moomins and the Comet Case, including Stellan Skarsgård and Mads Mikkelsen, are expected to participate in the promotional launch in Cannes. The film was produced by Tom Carpelan (Filmkompaniet Alpha).
Kuosmanen’s 60-minute film The Painting Sellers is her graduation film from Aalto University Helsinki. It tells the story of three men on the road, trying to sell art door to door, just before Christmas. Kuosmanen's previous student film, Roadmarkers, won third prize at Cinéfondation 2008.
Reindeerspotting – Escape from the Santaland by Joonas Neuvonen has snagged almost 49,000 admissions after five weekends on local screens. It is the second most successful Finnish documentary film ever after the Kaurismäki brothers’ 1981 film The Saimaa Gesture (56,677 admissions). In Reindeerspotting, first-time filmmaker Neuvonen has filmed for over a year a group of friends in the Arctic Circle who dabble in petty crime and hard drugs. The film is produced by Bronson Club (Sauna [+see also:
trailer
film profile]). Autlook Filmsales is representing it in Cannes.
Two other Finnish films are screening at the market: Mika Kaurismäki’s The House of Branching Love [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], sold by Wide Management, and Aleksi Salmenperä’s Bad Family [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], sold by The Match Factory. Hannaleena Hauru’s short film Whispering in a Friend’s Mouth is screening in International Critics Week.
Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.
