The Finnish Film Week opening on the 9th of March drew an audience of 370 to the Tel Aviv Cinematheque. During the reception the lobby filled with a mix of Finns, Israelis, and other nationalities, film buffs and professionals, friends of Finland and fans of the Finnish cinema.
Director Alon Garboz of the Tel Aviv Cinematheque and Ambassador of Finland Per-Mikael Engberg welcomed the audience to the Finnish Film Week. Director Dome Karukoski’s The Home of Dark Butterflies was the opening film, and to the delight of the audience the director himself attended the screening, introducing the film and answering to the viewer’s questions afterwards.
At an interview during the Film Week Karukoski shared his insights on Finnish cinema, on becoming a film director, and on his special connection to Israel.
Dome Karukoski, a household name in Finnish cinema today, did not plan to become a movie director; in fact he describes the process as an accident. Karukoski first applied to acting school, but was told that he is too dominant to be an actor, and that he should try film directing instead. Karukoski was accepted to the prestigious Helsinki School of Art and Design’s film directing program on his first try. While other aspiring movie directors had been making films since they could first hold a camera, he had no former experience in directing.
Upon finishing school new directors usually work as assistant directors on several films, but not Karukoski. Karukoski’s graduating project “Beauty and the Bastard” was supposed to be a short film, but accidentally turned out to be his first feature film, he explains. The romantic musical drama gained praise from both critics and viewers, and it became clear that Karukoski was a natural at film directing.
Karukoski’s second film The Home of Dark Butterflies came out in 2008 and was selected as Finland’s nominee for the Academy Awards. His second film Forbidden Fruit (2009) won awards at international film festivals in France, Portugal, Belgium, Austria, and India. Karukoski’s newest film Lapland Odyssey is currently in post-production and will premiere in Finland in September 2010.
As a director Karukoski follows his instincts. He is much involved in the process of developing the script and will often use actors with no former acting experience. A common feature in his films is minimalistic acting combined with melodic music, which plays a part in the story-telling.
Finnish films have a reputation of being melancholic and depressing, to say the least. The main character of a Finnish film is an unemployed alcoholic man with a three-legged dog and a sorrowful life. In the end he jumps off the bridge - and this is Finnish comedy, Karukoski smiles, and remembers the words of the legendary Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki: melancholy is in our blood.
However, Karukoski sees his generation of directors changing Finnish cinema. The change is evident even from movie posters: 30 years ago they would not have portrayed smiling people. Karukoski also remarks that films are not as society-driven anymore, but they focus on the personal stories. For most Finnish film directors, movie-making is not a business, but an art form, and a means to telling their story, Karukoski adds.
At the start of his career, Karukoski decided he did not want to make depressing Finnish movies. His films still deal with difficult and tragic topics, such as domestic violence and fatherless boys in The Home of Dark Butterflies, but at the end of the movie the prevalent sentiment is hope.
Finland is not yet a film country. We are known for a lot of other things, Karukoski notes: design, architecture, music... but not for films. What is positive is that the young directors are contributing to each other’s work. The attitude is that they are doing this together. Karukoski is happy to be part of the Finnish cinema and the change it is experiencing. Finnish cinema is waiting to break through.
Karukoski is aware of the impact he wants his films to have on the audience. He believes that Finns have little reasons to be depressed, and he hopes that the viewer will leave the theater with a smile on his face. The bottom line for both Karukoski’s films and the Finnish cinema is that there is great hope.
As for his career goals, Karukoski says, with a twinkle in his eyes, that he would like to make a perfect movie. A movie he could watch again and say, “That’s good, I wouldn’t change anything.”
Karukoski’s visit to Israel has had both a professional and personal significance. Karukoski has a special connection to Israel, since his mother worked at the Embassy of Finland in Tel Aviv for many years. This visit has been an exploration of his parents’ past. Karukoski was curious to understand the Israeli mentality, and to see the country that his mother has always talked about. During his trip Karukoski has toured Jerusalem and the Old City, Haifa, Tel Aviv, and Bethlehem, which has been much more exciting than the usual tour of the hotel lobby he gets at film festivals.
Karukoski compliments the Israeli film audience; based on the questions and comments on his movies the audience is analytical, intelligent, and perceptive. In his films there is a lot going on under the surface and in the subtext, and the Israeli viewers have understood this. Comparing Israeli and Finnish cinema, Karukoski notes that the story of Finns is not as universally renowned as the story of Israel. Therefore it is not as obvious that Finnish films will have an emotional appeal to foreigners.
Perhaps Karukoski’s visit has inspired him to direct his next film in Israel, I ask. With a grin, Karukoski answers that perhaps he could make a movie about a young girl from Finland moving to Tel Aviv to work at the Embassy...
Hilla Aurén
Photos: Mika Yaari
