24/03/2016 - Aleksi Salmenperä’s Distractions cashed in on three of its nine nominations for the Finnish national film prize, but missed out on Best Film, which went to Klaus Härö

The team behind The Fencer with their Jussi Awards (© Matti Matikainen)

Finnish director Aleksi Salmenperä’s Distractions [+see also:
trailer
film profile] – originally a 2013 stage play at Helsinki’s Q-Teatteri, now adapted for the screen – won three Jussis, Finland’s national film prize, when the Filmiaura professionals association announced its annual awards, published earlier today by the Finnish Film Foundation.

Described as a black comedy about how life keeps interrupting Mr Makkonen – who misses his own engagement party by decades – but also about a tired mother, a doomed superhero and the rest of his comrades in an uncontrollable world, Distractions entered the race with nine nominations, eventually winning such accolades as Best Director and Best Actor (for Tommi Korpela). 

Best Film went to Finnish director Klaus Härö’s The Fencer [+see also:
trailer
interview: Ivo Felt
film profile], Finland’s official submission for the Oscar nominations for Best Foreign-language Film, and the first Finnish contender for the Golden Globe for Best Foreign-language Film in 58 years. We should also point out that award-winning Finnish cinematographer Kari Sohlberg received a Concrete Jussi for Lifetime Achievement.

Here is the full list of winners at the 2016 Jussi Awards:

Best Film
The Fencer [+see also:
trailer
interview: Ivo Felt
film profile] – Klaus Härö

Best Director
Aleksi Salmenperä – Distractions [+see also:
trailer
film profile]

Best Actor
Tommi Korpela – Distractions

Best Actress
Krista Kosonen – The Midwife [+see also:
trailer
film profile]

Best Supporting Actor
Pirkka-Pekka Petelius – The Midwife

Best Supporting Actress
Mari Rantasila – Absolution [+see also:
trailer
film profile]

Best Original Script
Karoliina Lindgren – Armi Alive! [+see also:
trailer
interview: Jörn Donner
film profile]

Best Cinematography
Tuomo Hutri – The Fencer

Best Musical Score
Pan Sonic – Return of the Atom

Best Sound Design
Timo Anttila and Tuomas Seppänen – Big Game [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile]

Best Editing
Samu Heikkilä – Distractions

Best Set Design
Otso Linnalaakso – Armi Alive!

Best Costume Design
Marjatta Nissinen – The Girl King [+see also:
trailer
film profile]

Best Make-up Design
Salla Yli-Luopa – Lovemilla [+see also:
trailer
film profile]

Best Documentary
Seamstress – Ville Suhonen

Concrete Jussi for Lifetime Achievement
Kari Sohlberg