Subject: finnish

Pelikaanimies

Emil is a young boy who moves from the countryside to the city with his mother. At the same time, elsewhere, a pelican lands on a beach. It finds clothes and puts them on, thus beginning its life as a human. Right away, it hitches a ride to the city. It moves into the house next to Emil’s, unaware that the caretaker is allergic to birds… As Emil adjusts to his new life in the city, the pelican takes its first steps in life as a human. Being a big lover of music, the pelican lands a job at the Opera House. There, it falls in love with a lovely ballerina. One day, Emil meets the pelican and immediately notices that it’s a bird in human clothes. Emil and the pelican get to know each other and become best friends. The pelican’s origin is their shared big secret. Then, a pretty girl Elsa, Emil’s age, appears in the yard. At first, Emil is jealous of the pelican, but then Emil and Elsa become friends too. Emil teaches the pelican to read, thus the pelican learns more and more about being human. But just when they’re having the most fun, the caretaker starts to suspect that something’s going on. Are the new tenant’s habits too strange after all?

Director:
Liisa Helminen

Starring:
Kari Ketonen
Roni Haarakangas
Inka Nuorgam
Jonna Järnefelt

The movie won two Jussi Awards:
Best Production Design: Jussi Halonen, Samuli Halla, and Petri Neuvonen
Best Sound Design: Paul Jyrälä

Ella ja kaverit

Second grader Ella’s small village school is threatened with closure and demolition. The students are being transferred to a large and dreary new school. Behind the closure of the village school is Mr. One, who wants to build a race track in its place. With the support of her teacher, Ella and her friends come up with a way to save their own school.

Director:
Taneli Mustonen

Starring:
Eero Milonoff
Kari Ketonen
Armi Toivanen
Ville Myllyrinne

Herra Heinämäki ja Leijonatuuliviiri

During the Finnish War, highwayman Jeppe Antinpoika robs the treasure of the Swedish king. The bag of jewels is left hidden behind the pantry of a house, waiting to be discovered for eight hundred years.

City girl Aurora, also known as Arskan, arrives to visit her rural relative, Mr. Heinämäki, an eccentric gentleman. Mr. Heinämäki’s neighbor, the baker Kakelberg, is having a tough time because his house has started to haunt and his bakery business has been sabotaged. One evening, Arskan catches a mysterious prowler in the cellar of the baker’s house. Arskan and Mr. Heinämäki then start to solve the mystery of the baker’s house together.

Director:
Matti Grönberg
Pekka Karjalainen

Starring:
Heikki Hela
Heikki Silvennoinen
Satu Säävälä
Outi Mäenpää
Jukka Rasila

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

The Color Purple

Separated from her sister and children, Celie faces numerous hardships, including an aggressive husband. With the support of a singer and her stepdaughter, she ultimately finds exceptional strength in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood. The musical film is based on Alice Walker’s novel of the same name and features performers such as Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey. The songs in the musical blend jazz, R&B, and blues, adding their atmosphere to the film.

The Call of the Wild

“The Call of the Wild” is an adventure film released in 2020, based on Jack London’s novel of the same name. The movie follows the story of a dog named Buck, who is taken from California to the Alaskan wilderness to become a member of a dog sled team. Buck must adapt to harsh conditions and find his place within the pack. Along the way, he befriends John Thornton, who teaches him important life lessons. The film provides a modern interpretation of Jack London’s classic and highlights its timeless themes. Starring Harrison Ford and Terry Notary in lead roles.

Wonka

The movie tells the story of Willy Wonka’s youth before he became the genius of the chocolate industry. He has endless ideas and is determined to change the world one delicious bite at a time, while also proving that the best things in life start with a dream.

Gloriously Wasted

Juha Berg is a 30-year-old alcoholic from Kallio, Helsinki. Juha has no intention whatsoever of changing his lifestyle – quite the opposite. He thoroughly enjoys random sexual encounters, adrenaline-pumping violence, and of course, alcohol, for which he scrapes together money even by collecting bottles. However, his alcohol-fueled fun faces stiff competition when passionate Juha falls in love with the group leader of the AA meeting.

Santtu Karvonen won the Jussi Award: Best Supporting Actor.

Emperor’s Secret

“The Emperor’s Secret,” completed in 2006, is Finland’s first full-length computer-animated film set in a fantasy world. Although the movie features caricatures of politicians from the “Itsevaltiaat” TV series, it is not directly related to the series’ plot. The story revolves around a small village’s battle against an evil emperor.

The film was directed by Riina Hyytiä, and among its voice actors are Mika-Ala Panula, Anna Bentley, and Jukka Puotila. There are many characters, with several recognizable as Finnish politicians. “The Emperor’s Secret” was produced by Helsinki Film and Anima Vitae Oy.

Urpo & Turpo – Johtolangan jäljillä

Two curious toy bears, named Urpo and Turpo, reside on the bookshelf in the children’s room and greatly enjoy reading. They blend everyday life and fairy tales, creating amusing adventures. For instance, they find themselves on a deserted island and are saved by a breadfruit tree, bravely improve others’ appearances, search for clues, break rules, long for silence, and compete to be the best and strongest in the world.

Similarly to the toys in Toy Story, Urpo and Turpo come to life when the family isn’t watching. The Urpo & Turpo movie provides entertainment for both adults and the youngest members of the family. The film is easy to follow as it features good Finnish. It is based on Hannele Huovi’s popular storybooks and is now even more vibrant and lively on the big screen as it has been restored.

Ella ja kaverit 2: Paterock

Ella, a second-grader, and her classmates’ teacher insist that Pate, who dreams of a rock star career, must also learn multiplication tables. The friends come up with the idea that if Pete were a rock star, he wouldn’t need to know anything, as the manager would take care of everything. They form a band, and their goal is to perform at the mega concert of the singing star Elviira.

These characters are based on the book series “Ella ja Paterock” (Ella and Paterock).