Sokea mies joka ei halunnut nähdä Titanicia - Finland

Jaakko is blind and disabled, glued to his wheelchair. He loves Sirpa.

Living far away from one another, they have never met in person, but they meet every day over the phone. When Jaakko hears about Sirpa’s deteriorating health, he decides to go to her immediately despite his condition. In any case, he just needs to rely on the help of five strangers in five places: from his home to the taxi, from the taxi to the station, from the station to the train, from the train to another taxi, and finally from the taxi to ... her.

The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic is an exceptional film in both form and theme. Teemu Nikki captures his audience with a narrative that is both dense and deeply authentic. This immersiveness unavoidably leads to a discussion about the underlying societal issues. The point of view of the protagonist is finely balanced with the story itself: in the end, the unique lead role of MS patient Petri Poikolainen is an even more essential and emotional element than the highly innovative methods of cinematic execution.

Teemu Nikki (born 1975) is a prolific self-educated, award-winning filmmaker and son of a pig farmer from Sysmä, Finland. In 2001, he met producer Jani Pösö through commercial work, which kick-started a productive artistic collaboration. Together they run It’s Alive Films, one of the most active production companies in Finland.

Nikki has directed dozens of short and feature length films, television/online series, as well as hundreds of commercials and music videos. His most international acclaimed works include the Nordic Council Film Prize nominee Euthanizer (2017), Cannes Palme d’or short film entry All Inclusive (2019), Prix Europa nominee online/television youth series Mental (Sekasin), and Mister8, Best Series/Best Actor (Pekka Strang) at Canneseries 2021.

The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic is Nikki’s fifth feature film.
Launched at the 2021 Venice Film Festival Orizzonti Extra, the film won the Audience Award, the first of several distinctions. The film is best described as a good-willed yet unapologetic political satire of humanity. Among Nikki’s upcoming projects is the family film Snot & Splash.

Jani Pösö (born 1969) is a producer, writer and entrepreneur. He is CEO and co-founder of It’s Alive Films. Over the last two decades, Pösö and his partner, writer and director Teemu Nikki, have collaborated on multiple shorts, five features and three series, all of them internationally acclaimed. These include the film Euthanizer, Finland’s official 2018 Oscar entry and 2017 Nordic Council Film Prize nominee, the web and television series Mental (Sekasin) pitch-black comedy about mental health issues among young people, and Canneseries double winner Mister8. The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic is Nikki’s fifth feature film. Pösö has also produced music, theatre and events, established two advertising agencies and overseen a fashion brand.

Original title: Sokea mies joka ei halunnut nähdä Titanicia

Director: Teemu Nikki

Screenwriter: Teemu Nikki

Principal cast: Petri Poikolainen, Marjaana Maijala, Samuli Jaskio

Producer: Jani Pösö

Production company: It’s Alive Films

Running time: 82 minutes

Domestic distribution: It’s Alive Distribution

International sales: Intra Movies