The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki – Finland
Director Juho Kuosmanen steers this drama – his feature film debut – with an assured hand. Its delicious, understated humour, combined with the nostalgic patina of Jani-Petteri Passi’s striking black-and-white cinematography, sets the stage for great performances all round.
Synopsis
Summer 1962. Olli Mäki has a shot at the world championship title in featherweight boxing. From the Finnish countryside to the bright lights of Helsinki, the road to fame and fortune lies waiting for him. All Olli has to do is lose weight and concentrate. But there is a problem – he has fallen in love with Raija.
Motivation of the adjudication committee
Do you want to be a world champion or the champion of your own life? On the surface, The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki is a period piece based on a character from real life, but at its heart is the age-old question of whether to choose love over glory.
Director Juho Kuosmanen steers this drama – his feature film debut – with an assured hand. Its delicious, understated humour, combined with the nostalgic patina of Jani-Petteri Passi’s striking black-and-white cinematography, sets the stage for great performances all round.
Screenwriter / director – Juho Kuosmanen
Juho Kuosmanen (b. 1979) graduated from Aalto University’s ELO Helsinki Film School in 2014. While still a student he acted and directed for the stage and worked closely with the West Coast Kokkola Opera avant-garde ensemble. He has won numerous awards for his short films, including third prize at Cinéfondation in Cannes for Roadmakers, a Prix Arte at the Premiers Plans Festival in Angers, France for Citizens, and a first prize at Cinéfondation for his graduation film, The Painting Sellers, in 2010.
His feature debut, The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki, won the Un Certain Regard Prize at the Cannes Film Festival 2016.
Screenwriter – Mikko Myllylahti
Mikko Myllylahti (b. 1980) studied screenwriting and fiction directing at the ELO Helsinki Film School, graduating in 2012 with a Master of Arts. His graduation film, The Pyramid, won the Student Prize at the Tampere Film Festival 2012. His other short film, Handbag (2013), was nominated for Best Short Film at Nordisk Panorama 2013.
He co-wrote the screenplay for The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki with Juho Kuosmanen.
Myllylahti has also written three critically acclaimed collections of poetry, winning the prestigious Kalevi Jäntti Literature Prize in 2012 for Väylä (2012).
Producer – Jussi Rantamäki
Jussi Rantamäki (b.1980) earned a bachelor’s degree in cultural management in 2004. He worked as an assistant director and location manager both during and after his studies.
In 2008, he started working as a producer at Aamu Film Company Ltd. His first two productions – Whispering in a Friend’s Mouth and The Painting Sellers – premiered at the Berlinale and Cannes’ Cinéfondation 2010 respectively. The feature film Things We do for Love by Matti Ijäs was nominated for Best Screenplay at the Jussi Awards 2014, and in 2016, The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki by Juho Kuosmanen won the Un Certain Regard Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Production information
Original title: Hymyilevä mies
Director: Juho Kuosmanen
Screenwriters: Mikko Myllylahti, Juho Kuosmanen
Producer: Jussi Rantamäki
Production company: Aamu Film Company Ltd
Principal cast: Jarkko Lahti, Oona Airola, Eero Milonoff, Joanna Haartti
Running time: 92 minutes
Finnish distribution: B-Plan Distribution
International distribution: Les Films du Losange
Jury members
Harri Römpötti, Jaana Puskala, Outi Heiskanen