Genre: war

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Published:

Hella W

Everyone is familiar with the characters from the Niskavuori plays, but the tempestuous life story of the playwright Hella Wuolijoki is less well known. She negotiated peace during the Winter War, was sentenced to life imprisonment for treason during the Continuation War, but was pardoned after the signing of the Armistice. The very next year, following her release, she became the director of the Finnish Broadcasting Company and later entered Parliament. Screenwriter Outi Nyytäjä and director Juha Wuolijoki’s joint exploration of Hella Wuolijoki’s past brings the story of the famous playwright, politician, and businesswoman to a wider audience.

Director:
Juha Wuolijoki

Starring:
Tiina Weckström
Hannu-Pekka Björkman
Matleena Kuusniemi

The film won the 2012 Jussi Awards for Best Set Design and Best Costume Design.

Note: No longer available in DVD or Blu-ray distribution.

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Käsky

Recently returned to Finland from training in Germany, young jäger Aaro Harjula witnesses cruel events. As an idealist, he believes that he can promote legality and the realization of justice through his actions, so he reluctantly sets out to take the red female prisoner, Miina Malini, to a court he believes in. Miina and Jäger Harjula find themselves on a journey to a deserted island. Their shared experience changes and deepens their relationship. “The Court Martial” is Harjula’s coming-of-age story. The world, divided into good and evil, right and wrong, gains more nuances. Harjula meets the reputable Emil Hallenberg and believes that this man will surely make a fair decision regarding Miina.

Director:
Aku Louhimies

Starring:
Pihla Viitala
Samuli Vauramo
Eero Aho

The film was awarded the Jussi Award for Best Cinematography.

Published:

Golda

Golda is a portrait of a unique woman and leader, Israel’s first and so far only female Prime Minister Golda Meir (portrayed by Oscar-winning Helen Mirren, The Queen). The film focuses on the difficult duties and decisions Meir faces as she navigates Israel through the 1973 Yom Kippur War. On October 6, 1973, Israel’s holiest day during Ramadan, an alliance of Egyptian and Syrian forces launched a surprise attack on the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights. Known as Israel’s Iron Lady, Prime Minister Golda Meir battles against time, with millions of human lives at stake on both sides of the conflict. Struggling with impossible choices, Golda leads her people alone through an uncertain era, frustrated by the constant internal conflicts of her male-dominated government.

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Ystävät, toverit

The director of a nickel mine, Arno Jurmala, is celebrating his birthday. The workers praise him in their speeches and international business partners have been invited to the party. But behind the scenes, there is another world, led by a ruthless man for whom everything is for sale: nickel, weapons, and women. If someone tries to plot against the autocrat, the traitor will pay with their life. The film is inspired by the Petsamo area, where a northern “wild west” emerged around a nickel mine in the late 1930s. Different nationalities, ruthless people seeking quick wealth, and spies from countries preparing for war met there.

The film was directed by Rauni Mollberg.

Starring: Kari Rydman Pekka Salo Seija Kiiski Timo Lehtonen

Jussi Awards: Best Set Design – Tom Hamberg

Published:

The Unknown Soldier (1985)

During the interim peace, a medical examination is carried out in the machine gun company of the Eastern Finnish wilderness garrison, and training is conducted for future battles. In June, the departure order arrives towards the unknown, and the company is transported to the eastern border. Officers listen solemnly to the Minister’s speech on the radio about the final victory, and in captured Petrozavodsk, Finnish victory celebrations have already begun. In the summer of 1944, the Soviet Union launches a major offensive, and the Finnish forces begin to retreat. Author Väinö Linna fully supported Rauni Mollberg’s film project and was initially involved in its scriptwriting. Although Edwin Laine’s direction held its ground, new perspectives were sought for the remake of ‘The Unknown Soldier.’ The actors are younger because the main idea is the path of a young person into war and its absurdity. At the same time, it is a tribute to those who have gone through it all.

The film was directed by Rauni Mollberg based on Väinö Linna’s novel ‘The Unknown Soldier.’

Starring:
Risto Tuorila
Pirkka-Pekka Petelius
Paavo Liski
Mika Mäkelä

Jussi Awards:
Best Actor – Paavo Liski
Best Actor – Risto Tuorila
Best Direction – Rauni Mollberg

Published:

Täällä Pohjantähden alla II

Artista Filmi Oy produced two feature films based on Väinö Linna’s ‘Under the North Star’ novels. The books constitute the Northern Star trilogy, narrating the realistic and humane story of the Koskela family. It traces the life of ordinary individuals amidst the significant European changes from the late 1800s to the Second World War, encompassing Finland’s independence and the Civil War. The narrative also focuses on the love story of Akseli Koskela and Elina Kivivuori. The book series was published between 1959 and 1962.

Published:

Täällä Pohjantähden alla

Artista Filmi Oy produced two feature films based on Väinö Linna’s ‘Under the North Star’ novels. The books constitute the Northern Star trilogy, narrating the realistic and humane story of the Koskela family. It traces the life of ordinary individuals amidst the significant European changes from the late 1800s to the Second World War, encompassing Finland’s independence and the Civil War. The narrative also focuses on the love story of Akseli Koskela and Elina Kivivuori. The book series was published between 1959 and 1962.

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Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer is set during World War II, portraying the theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (played by Cillian Murphy) as he is tasked with creating a new super weapon, the atomic bomb, for the United States—a weapon that could potentially end the war with a single explosion. The Manhattan Project, established in 1943 at the secret Los Alamos laboratory, led to the first test of the atomic bomb in Alamogordo.

The Trinity nuclear test on July 16, 1945, was a first of its kind, and less than a month later, the United States dropped two devastating atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6th and 9th, effectively concluding the Second World War. As the chairman of the United States Atomic Energy Commission, Lewis Strauss, moves towards the Senate and greater power at the onset of the Cold War, Oppenheimer realizes his partial responsibility for nuclear armament and the potential threat of nuclear war to humanity. Towards the end of his career, once a naive idealist, he finds himself embroiled in courtroom drama, political power plays, and intrigue.

Oppenheimer is written by Christopher Nolan. The film was shot using 65-millimeter IMAX® cameras on regular 65-millimeter film, marking the first time IMAX® cameras have been used to capture analog black-and-white footage.

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The Unknown Soldier

Finnish garrison gets an order and their machine gun company is transported to the eastern border – soon, war becomes a reality again.

Directed by Aku Louhimies, The Unknown Soldier is the third film adaptation based on Väinö Linna’s classic novel. It describes the journey of a Finnish infantry unit in the Continuation War, that lasted three years. The film tells the story of Rokka, Kariluoto, Koskela, Hietanen, and their comrades – how fellowship, humor, and the will to survive unite men on their journey there and back. The war revolutionized the lives of both individual soldiers and those left behind on the home front, leaving its mark on the entire nation.

The film received significant recognition, winning four Jussi Gala trophies: Best Sound Design, Best Leading Actor, Best Editing, and Best Makeup Design.

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Miral

A drama centered on an orphaned Palestinian girl growing up in the wake of the first Arab-Israeli war who finds herself drawn into the conflict.