Four Jussi movie awards for Postia pappi Jaakobille

Rööperi also picks up four prizes

Klaus Härö

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At Sunday evening’s gala presentation in Helsinki of this year’s Jussi Awards (the Finnish Oscars) the movie Postia pappi Jaakobille (”Letters to Father Jacob”), directed by Klaus Härö, was the winner of four of the most most important prizes.
     
The film collected the top prize for Best Picture of 2009, the awards for Best Direction and Best Actor, as well as the Best Music Jussi.
      Originally Postia pappi Jaakobille had received nine nominations.
      ”Many Finnish films have succeeded in one sector but as a whole they do not feel good”, said Klaus Härö after receiving the prize.
      ”We have tried to see to it that this film would be good taken as a whole. Maybe that is why we wanted to go back to basics”, Härö estimated, considering the reasons for the success of his minimalist film.
      The director of Postia pappi Jaakobille says that he is quite surprised at the popularity of his film.
      ”It is a movie with a slow tempo and a religious theme, and yet it has already won an audience of 100,000 at movie theatres, while a million viewers have seen it on television”, Härö marvels.
     
The Best Actor Jussi went to Heikki Nousiainen for his role as Father Jacob.
      Nousiainen is officially retired - a relative concept in his case. In 2009 Nousiainen acted in four films and was a Jussi candidate in two categories: Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor.
      ”It keeps me at my best”, Nousiainen said modestly after collecting the Jussi award, adding that he is still performing on stage as well.
      Another movie Rööperi (”Hellsinki”), directed by Aleksi Mäkelä, was also quite successful. The film picked up the awards for Costumes and Set Design, bringing the award for Best Supporting Actor to Peter Franzén. Rööperi also grabbed the Public Favourite Award.
     
Somewhat surprisingly, the second most popular movie in the public voting was Mitä meistä tuli (”What Became of Us”), a movie made by young amateur film-makers.
      The award for Best Actress was handed out to Minna Haapkylä for her role in Jörn Donner’s movie Kuulustelu (”The Interrogation”).
      The Best Script Jussi was picked up by Antti Raivio, Jan Forsström, and Zaida Bergroth for Skavabölen pojat (”Last Cowboy Standing”).
      Actor Lasse Pöysti was awarded a special lifetime Jussi for his body of work. Pöysti started his film career as Olli Suominen in the Suominen Family films in 1941, when he was 14 years old.
      It goes without saying that the audience gave Pöysti the loudest applause of the entire evening. Pöysti thanked his colleagues for the past decades which ”would remain tinkling in his mind”.
     
The Jussi Award has been awarded since 1944. A jury comprising mainly members of Filmiaura, an association of film professionals, decide on the annual Jussi awards with the exception of the Public Favorite Award.
      Postia pappi Jaakobille, which has enjoyed success at various film festivals abroad, was also chosen as Finland's candidate for the Best Foreign-Language Film category at the 2010 Academy Awards, but it did not make it to the short list of nine films announced two weeks ago.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finnish release Letters to Father Jacob wins Main Prize at Mannheim-Heidelberg Film Festival (16.11.2009)

Links:
  Mitä meistä tuli - What Became of Us (Finnkino)
  What Became of Us
  Jussi Awards (Wikipedia)

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