02/02/2015 - J-P Valkeapää’s third feature was the big winner at the Finnish national film awards, from which veteran actor Antti Litja walked away with two statuettes

They Have Escaped's producer Aleksi Bardy (left) and director J-P Valkeapää pose with their awards (© Tony Öhberg/Finland Today)

Veteran Finnish actor Antti Litja, who has performed in 118 films, left last night’s Jussi gala with two statuettes: one (in gypsum) for Best Actor, for playing the titular role in The Grump [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Finnish director Dome Karukoski’s local blockbuster about a die-hard old man having to face the changing world; and the other (in concrete) for his contributions to Finnish cinema.

While The Grump had to make do with one prize (and 458,637 admissions last year), Finnish director J-P Valkeapää’s They Have Escaped [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: J-P Valkeapää
film profile] won four, including Best Feature and Best Director, at the awards ceremony organised by the Filmiaura Association of Finnish Film Professionals. 

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They Have Escaped had been nominated seven times, while Antti Heikki Pesonen’s Headfirst [+see also:
trailer
film profile] had been considered in five categories and cashed in on two national film prizes, the same as Virpi Suutari’s documentary, Garden Lovers.

Full list of Finnish Jussi winners 2015

Best Film: They Have Escaped, prod: Aleksi Bardy

Best Director: J-P Valkeapää, for They Have Escaped

Best Actress: Anu Sinisalo, for No Thank You, dir: Samuli Valkama

Best Actor: Antti Litja, for The Grump,dir: Dome Karukoski

Best Supporting Actress: Mimosa Willamo, for Headfirst

Best Supporting Actor: Petri Manninen, for Korso [+see also:
trailer
film profile], dir: Akseli Tuomivaara

Best Screenplay: Antti Heikki Pesonen, for Headfirst, dir: Antti Heikki Pesonen

Best Cinematography: Peter Flinckenberg, for Pixadores [+see also:
trailer
film profile], dir: Amir Arsames Escandari

Best Musical Score: Sanna Salmenkallio, for Garden Lovers, dir: Virpi Suutari

Best Sound Design: Micke Nyström, for They Have Escaped

Best Editing: Mervi Junkkonen, for They Have Escaped 

Best Set Design: Markku Pätilä, for The Surrealist and His Naughty Hand, dir: Pekka Lehto 

Best Costume Design: Auli Turtiainen, for Jill and Joy, dir: Saara Cantell 

Best Make-up: Jessica Simonsson, for Raspberry Boat Refugee, dir: Leif Lindblom 

Best Documentary: Garden Lovers 

Honorary Concrete Jussi: actor Antti Litja