Paul Jyrälä

Hundreds of years ago in Lapland, a little boy named Nikolas loses his family in an accident. The villagers decide to look after the orphaned boy together. Once a year - at Christmas - Nikolas moves to a new home. To show his gratitude, Nikolas decides to make toys for the children of the families as good-bye presents. Over the years, Nikolas's former adoptive families become many, and soon almost every house has presents on its doorstep on Christmas morning. At thirteen, Nikolas is sent to live and work with Iisakki, a grumpy old carpenter, who forbids Nikolas to continue making presents for Christmas. Gradually, however, Nikolas wins Iisakki's trust. Together they begin to look after the Christmas traditional that Nikolas has begun. When the aged Iisakki has to leave Nikolas and move away, the tradition of Christmas presents is once again at risk. Thankfully, Nikolas comes up with a solution that brings children joy every Christmas, even continuing to today.

Joe Enders is a gung-ho Marine assigned to protect a "windtalker" - one of several Navajo Indians who were used to relay messages during World War II because their spoken language was indecipherable to Japanese code breakers.

A comedy that follows the chaos that ensues when a meteor hits the Earth carrying alien life forms that give new meaning to the term "survival of the fittest." David Duchovny, Orlando Jones, Seann William Scott, and Julianne Moore are the only people standing between the aliens and world domination... which could be bad news for the Earth.

After having successfully eluded the authorities for years, Hannibal peacefully lives in Italy in disguise as an art scholar. Trouble strikes again when he's discovered leaving a deserving few dead in the process. He returns to America to make contact with now disgraced Agent Clarice Starling, who is suffering the wrath of a malicious FBI rival as well as the media.

After proving himself on the field of battle in the French and Indian War, Benjamin Martin wants nothing more to do with such things, preferring the simple life of a farmer. But when his son Gabriel enlists in the army to defend their new nation, America, against the British, Benjamin reluctantly returns to his old life to protect his son.

Beck and his men investigates a murder of a Russian woman. At the same time as SÄPO (The Swedish Security Agency) sees a chance of getting a Russian in the embassy deported.

A man working at a garbage incinerator discovers the body of a dead man burned to ashes in the oven. Police detective Martin Beck handles the case. All he knows is that a brutal murder has happened. But he does not know when or where. He has no body, motive or a crime scene, not a single trace. All he has is some teeth and a mysterious Internet address...

Computer professional Vesa Rajala rushes to home from a work trip because his wife Sanna is leaving for Greece with her new lover, Georgios from next door.

This action packed Finnish thriller tells the tale of two friends who get their revenge against the millionaire who double-crossed them. Patrick and Tony are hired by the wealthy gambler to steal the priceless Romanov stones, Russian jewels. They do it, but almost lose their lives when he double-crosses them. They turn around and get revenge, his money, his wife, and his daughter.

This action packed Finnish thriller tells the tale of two friends who get their revenge against the millionaire who double-crossed them. Patrick and Tony are hired by the wealthy gambler to steal the priceless Romanov stones, Russian jewels. They do it, but almost lose their lives when he double-crosses them. They turn around and get revenge, his money, his wife, and his daughter.

Red is an aging scam-artist who's just been released from prison together with Ronnie, a young and not-so-bright hoodlum who is easily manipulated. Their new business is to organize fake-money sales and then kill the buyer to take his money; but when Ronnie kills an undercover secret service agent, his partner Jimmy Mercer vows revenge and is given one week to catch the killers before being transferred. Written by Giancarlo Cairella

Sequel to Kuutamosonaatti (1988).

Sequel to Kuutamosonaatti (1988).

Sequel to Kuutamosonaatti (1988).

That Kiljunen familys sets out find their two missing family members, who have been sent to Tampere by the Matalamäki boarding school for retraining due to poor school performance.

Russia attacked Finland in late November 1939. This film tells the story of a Finnish platoon of reservists from the municipality of Kauhava in the province of Pohjanmaa/Ostrobothnia who leave their homes and go to war. The film focuses on the farmer brothers Martti and Paavo Hakala.

A female fashion model Anni Stark takes leave from the fashion business and goes to Finland's Lapland for a vacation. Little does she know that there's a totally lunatic bunch of local hillbillies living in a nearby farmhouse. The plot thickens as one of the residents begins to harass Anni, who is left alone in the wilderness with only her dog to protect her. Too bad for her that her dog turns out to have divided loyalties.

A female fashion model Anni Stark takes leave from the fashion business and goes to Finland's Lapland for a vacation. Little does she know that there's a totally lunatic bunch of local hillbillies living in a nearby farmhouse. The plot thickens as one of the residents begins to harass Anni, who is left alone in the wilderness with only her dog to protect her. Too bad for her that her dog turns out to have divided loyalties.

A female fashion model Anni Stark takes leave from the fashion business and goes to Finland's Lapland for a vacation. Little does she know that there's a totally lunatic bunch of local hillbillies living in a nearby farmhouse. The plot thickens as one of the residents begins to harass Anni, who is left alone in the wilderness with only her dog to protect her. Too bad for her that her dog turns out to have divided loyalties.

Based on a novel of the same name by the Finnish author, Antti Tuuri, this delicious late-80's comedy builds its dark humour on the stereotypical mentality of the northern part of Finland. While perhaps not as entertaining to a person unfamiliar with Finnish traditions, the brilliant acting, directing, plus the warm, beautiful Finnish summer more than make up for the cultural gap.The story begins with a group of brothers with their families coming up to honour the memory of their recently deceased father. Spending time together, opening old wounds and creating new ones... it all boils down to brotherhood. No matter what happens, brothers take care of their own.

Based on a novel of the same name by the Finnish author, Antti Tuuri, this delicious late-80's comedy builds its dark humour on the stereotypical mentality of the northern part of Finland. While perhaps not as entertaining to a person unfamiliar with Finnish traditions, the brilliant acting, directing, plus the warm, beautiful Finnish summer more than make up for the cultural gap.The story begins with a group of brothers with their families coming up to honour the memory of their recently deceased father. Spending time together, opening old wounds and creating new ones... it all boils down to brotherhood. No matter what happens, brothers take care of their own.

Alex is a Finnish taxi driver in Berlin. One evening pits two men feel comfortable in his taxi with a briefcase full of money, but unfortunately for Alex's money stolen and a group of gangsters are at the nape of the two. Soon it comes to shooting, and when the two men being killed, is good advice costly for the beleaguered driver. "Helsinki Napoli All Night Long" is Mika Kaurismäki's first major European production. The film features a host of famous names in the cast: The legendary film director Samuel Fuller (The Big Red One), actor Eddie Constantine (Alphaville, Europe), cult directors Wim Wenders (Paris, Texas) and Jim Jarmusch (Dead Man).

It's the most exciting moment of the year: Easter night and little Mimosa birthday. Muskotti, her mother, has such a bad memory that she doesn't know how old Mimosa is. Mimosa's birthday is a warm and fairytale-like film, but at the same time a sneaky story about a girl's growth into adulthood. It takes place entirely in a wizarding world awash with a night blue glow.

A Finnish live action adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, The Snow Queen. The tale centers on the struggle between good and evil as experienced by a little boy and girl, Kai and Kerttu.

Interwoven with scenes that are meant to grab attention by their stunning composition, this biographical look at Finland's violinist Arto Arsi is not so much a narration of his childhood and early years, as an attempt to artistically show what was happening inside his psyche during that time. Literally sold to a master teacher, Sergei Rippas (Tarmo Manni) by his mother when he was still a child, the violin prodigy was forcefully and strictly raised to practice, practice, and perfect his technique. Once an adult, Arsi finds a way to escape the rigors of a U.S. tour and drowns his overworked self in drink, or seeks out one-night stands, or otherwise lets off steam. The tightly-wound spring that has been coiled since he was forced into his grueling training and work sessions -- shown through symbolic images -- eventually snaps in a healthy way, freeing Arsi at last to continue on, simply for the love of music.

Eccentric small town librarian Helinä struggles between everyday life and her love for the theatre, directing amateurs for a play by the famous Finnish writer Aleksis Kivi. She still carries the torch for her teenage sweetheart Leo, now a married chimney sweeper but still an aspiring playwright, despite his wife's opinions. Helinä thinks Leo is Aleksis Kivi, and so does Leo himself. Discouraged by the society, they end up in a mental institution but finally manage to stage an outdoor premiere of the play.

A child acquires a magical video game that he uses to influence the world around him

Story of Jari, a misfit and coward who, after hitting his girlfriend escapes to a fish factory in Norway. There he meets Heikki, who works for the same company. However, the violence follows Jon in Norway too.

A group of three male friends with domestic problems behave badly.

The Kiljunen family wins a holiday trip to Helsinki and the city will never be the same again.

This biographical film celebrates the little-known life of the Finnish novelist and revolutionary Maiju Lassila (Asko Sarkola), born in 1868. Lassila's early years are briefly shown, then the film richly details his active and paradoxically reclusive adult life, beginning with his sojourn in St. Petersburg, working as a businessman. Unable to stay away from politics, he caused the assassination of a high-ranking Czarist and as a result, had to run back to Finland to hide. Once established in the comparative safety of a small village, he taught school in order to support his real vocation as a writer. Always living on the edge of poverty, if not square in the middle of it, Lassila continues to avoid public contact - he keeps his identity low-key and camoflages it by publishing under a variety of pseudonyms.

After a mixup at the check-in, Aimo Niemi boards a charter plane bound for the sunny island of Rhodes, Greece, instead of the Innsbruck Winter Olympics he's packed for. It's the early days of package tourism, and he is too shy and clueless to really sort out any of his problems — a suitcase filled with women's clothes, a flirtatious female roommate, and no money to buy food since he was prepared for full room & board in Austria.

Two outlaws, The Lonely Rider and the Indian Tonto, have caught (at least they think they have) Speedy Gonzales, a ruthless gunfighter from the town of Njietponimaistadi. They start to travel to another town for the reward, through the desert without water and fighting against Indians. And just to find out that they have made a full circle back to origin.

The degenerate alcoholics, the men and women of the beaches, themselves speak openly about their lives and problems. Through their stories, a picture emerges of those on the periphery of society who succumbed to alcohol because of war or difficult living conditions. They are aware of their own State; reason is still there, but the Will is lacking. The film is a cry for help on behalf of humans, it is a dispassionate and honest description of the position of degenerate alcoholics in Finnish society in the early 1970s.

Pertti Ylermi Lindgren (b. 1936) was engaged to 76 women, married none, but took the money of all. Lindgren is the real thing, as far as swindlers go. Peter von Bagh asked him to play himself in a film that would reconstruct some of his greatest moments, i.e. the most flamboyant «stunts» – and he agreed! So, marvel at Lindgren playing Lindgren, and study, on the film's second narrative string, how he's trying to get by, dancing and being charming through the summer of 1970, in dance-halls and pavilions.

Teenager Erik returns from Paris to Finland in a rowboat and is accosted by a gang of youths in the countryside. He walks to Helsinki, returns to his parents' home and his old high school filled with angry radical teens who, typically for the era, consider the teacher-imposed discipline as another form of capitalist imperialism. Almost reluctantly Erik drifts together with Annika, a girl from a wealthy family, and starts experimenting with sex and marijuana. In the same nonchalant manner Erik gets involved in demonstrations and school politics which escalate into a violent school strike leading to police intervention and heavy sanctions.

A doctor, her daughter, and her young housekeeper spend their summer on a remote island.

A doctor, her daughter, and her young housekeeper spend their summer on a remote island.

Jussi, a student admired by all women, is inadvertently selected to represent both left-wing and right-wing parties in the parliamentary elections. All Jussi cares about is the beautiful, blonde Irmeli.

Finnish porn movie producer Pertsa returns from America to his home country to continue his profession with hopelessly small budgets and incompetent casts and crews. A self-ironic satire about director Donner's scandalous fame in late 1960s Finland, notorious for a graphic long shot of his penis pointing northeast.

Finnish porn movie producer Pertsa returns from America to his home country to continue his profession with hopelessly small budgets and incompetent casts and crews. A self-ironic satire about director Donner's scandalous fame in late 1960s Finland, notorious for a graphic long shot of his penis pointing northeast.

Triangle comedy about a movie crew shooting a no-budget artsy film. Director Pohja is a clumsy beginner, cinematographer Törrönen an old pro, and the leading actors Igor and Merju first detest each other although the script is supposed to make them lovers. The two gradually grow closer even in real life, but the director too has set his eyepiece on Merju

Tuula's husband Jukka takes care of all domestic chores. Tuula seems to have no idea that her husband spends his evenings working as a major league ice hockey referee. She also finds out about his extra-marital affair with a female rally driver. In revenge, Tuula starts seeing her gynecologist Timo Paasi, a married man with six children.

A theater group is training for the play Lapualaisooppera. We see these young people hanging out and talking about what goes on around them.Also sexual matters are involved there and this girl, Tenu, becomes pregnant to Hessu.

Pähkähullu Suomi (1967) (Crazy Finland) is a film that pushes every stereotype imaginable about Finland, and then some. Indeed, coming in the same year as Finland’s 50th anniversary, the film’s whole premise is about presenting Finland in hilarious fashion to foreigners and perhaps also making fun of some of the myths of Finnish culture for Finns themselves.