Aki Kaurismäki
About
Biography
Biography
Young, inventive director who began receiving international recognition in the late 1980s. Kaurismaki's output has ranged from wacky, comic-book style adventures ("Calamari Union" 1985, "Leningrad Cowboys Go America" 1989) to revisionist adaptations of literary classics ("Crime and Punishment" 1983, "Hamlet Goes Business" 1987"), and he has proved himself adept at combining gritty, noir-ish realism with sly, sardonic humor ("Ariel" 1988). Kaurismaki's minimalist style, prolific output and taste for wry melodrama have invited comparisons with filmmakers such as R.W. Fassbinder and Jim Jarmusch.
With his brother Mika ("Rosso" 1985, "Helsinki Napoli All Night Long" 1988), and other directors including Pekka Parikka ("Plainlands" 1988, "The Winter War" 1989), Kaurismaki is at the forefront of a burgeoning new wave of Finnish cinema.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Editing (Feature Film)
Art Director (Feature Film)
Production Designer (Feature Film)
Film Production - Lighting/Electrical (Feature Film)
Special Thanks (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Director (Short)
Writer (Short)
Editing (Short)
Life Events
1980
First film as screenwriter (also actor), "The Liar"; brother Mika's thesis film
1981
Co-directed (with brother) the rock documentary "The Saimaa Gesture" (also the first Villealfa production)
1983
Fiction feature directing and co-writing debut, "Crime and Punishment"
1999
Helmed the black and white silent "Juha"
2002
Directed the award-winning "The Man Without a Past" which he also wrote and produced; received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film
2006
Wrote and directed "Lights in the Dusk," the last part of Kaurismäki's 'Loser' trilogy
Family
