A F I L M B Y PIRJO HONKASALO

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F i n l a n d ’s O f f i c i a l S u b m i s s i o n fo r F o re i g n L a n g u a g e F i l m a t t h e

O s c a r s ® a n d G o l d e n G l o b e s ® 2 0 1 4

P R E S S W O R L D S A L E S P R O D U C T I O N C O M P A N YSilversalt PR Film Republic Bufo Ltd. Thessa Mooij Xavier Henry-Rashid Helena Mielonen thessa@silversaltpr.com xavier@filmrepublic.biz helena@bufo.fi 212.729.7071 +44 78 35 999 112 +358 41 532 3394 www.silversaltpr.com www.filmrepublic.biz www.bufo.fi

W W W . C O N C R E T E N I G H T . C O M

C O N C R E T E N I G H T I S

A D R E A M L I K E O D Y S S E Y O F Y O U N G S I M O

W H O , O V E R T H E C O U R S E O F A N I G H T I N

T H E H U M I D A N D S T U N N I N G H E L S I N K I ,

F O L L O W S H I S C R I M I N A L O L D E R B R O T H E R

T H R O U G H A S E R I E S O F F A T E F U L E V E N T S .

S I M O is a 14-year-old boy in search of himself, unable yet to decode and interpret life around him. He and his big brother Ilkka are the sons of a helpless and unpredictable single mother. Their chaotic home is located deep in the heart of a concrete jungle in Helsinki. Ilkka has one day of freedom left before starting his prison sentence and their mother persuades Simo to spend this last night with him.

During the course of the day and night spent roaming around Helsinki, the brothers witness incidents they would rather not have seen. Vulnerable Simo is not equipped to justify what he sees or delude himself – seeing things accurately as they are. To him, the unfiltered world seems unbearable. Finally a casual encounter with a photographer, whose intentions Simo misreads, launches him into blind fear. In the panic-stricken violence that ensues, Simo finds his missing identity, his true face.

Director Pirjo Honkasalo wrote the film script based on the hard-driving novel Concrete Night by Pirkko Saisio. Published in 1981, the novel foreshadowed the disconnected world we live in today.

ABOUT THE FILM

Pirjo Honkasalo is a highly established director, cinematographer and screenwriter who has won numerous awards for her work. She directed several feature films in the 1970’s and 1980’s together with Pekka Lehto, e.g. Flame Top in the Cannes competition in 1980. A few years later she directed the award- winning Fire Eater, which received the AFI Grand Prix from a jury headed by Michael Cimino. In the 1990’s she turned to feature documentaries, directing the award-winning The Trilogy of the Sacred and the Satanic (Mysterion, Tanjuska and the 7 Devils and Atman). She also made the visually arresting The 3 Rooms of Melancholia, a story of how Russian and Chechen children were psychologically affected by the war, which was shown in Venice and Sundance. After Melancholia she was invited to Japan to direct a film in Tokyo coming out with her film ITO – A Diary of an Urban Priest. She has had well over twenty retrospectives of her work worldwide, acted as a member of several international juries and is actively giving international master classes. She is also Finland’s first female cinematographer to shoot a feature film.

She both acts as director and cinematographer in each of her documentaries. Concrete Night – Finland’s official entry for the Academy Awards and Golden Globes – marks Pirjo’s return to fiction, although she plans to continue making documentaries as well.

S E L E C T F I L M O G R A P H Y :

2013 Concrete Night2009 ITO – A Diary of an Urban Priest2004 The 3 Rooms of Melancholia (three prizes at Venice Film Festival, FIPRESCI prize at Thessaloniki Documentary Festival)1998 Fire-Eater (Premiere at Locarno Film Festival, AFI Grand Prix, two awards at Locarno Film Festival) 1996 Atman (Joris Ivens Award at IDFA)1993 Tanjuska and the 7 Devils1991 Mysterion (screened at Berlinale’s Panorama Programme 1992)1985 Da Capo (Premiere at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight)1983 250 Grams (Premiere at Venice Film Festival) 1980 Flame Top (Cannes Official Selection)

DIRECTOR

D I R E C T O R ’ S S T A T E M E N T

When I read the novel Concrete Night in 1981, to portray its 14 years old protagonist Simo became like an obsession to me. His gaze of the world around him was full of odd and merciless beauty. To treat his fragile and still almost hollow identity would need a lot of tenderness and wisdom. Would I have it. It took me thirty years to come and realise my obsession. August 2013, Pirjo Honkasalo

D I R E C T O R P I R J O H O N K A S A L O

“ A F T E R A L L , W E D O N ’ T H AV E A C C E S S T O

A N O T H E R P E R S O N ’ S H E A D , D O W E ? ”

J O H A N N E S B R O T H E R U S

(born 1997) was discovered by Pirjo Honkasalo in a screen test that turned out to be a profound experience. His obvious sensitivity and rare courage to look within himself in front of the camera separated him from the other boys. Later Honkasalo found out that Johannes had some experience in acting in theater and dance. Simo in Concrete Night is his first major role in a feature film.

J A R I V I R M A N

(born 1976) graduated from Theatre Academy Helsinki in 2005 and has worked as a freelance actor in theater, film, TV and radio. Pirjo Honkasalo screen tested him for the role of Ilkka in Concrete Night ten years earlier. She was totally taken by his skills and temperament, but she was meanwhile offered to direct feature documentaries around the world and Concrete Night was put on hold. When she finally decided to return to fiction, Concrete Night was the film, no question. She immediately called Jari, delighted to find he was even more fit for the role of Ilkka than ten years earlier. Ilkka’s role in Concrete Night is his first major role in a feature fiction.

ABOUT THE CAST

J U H A N U L F S A K

(born in the Soviet Union in 1973) is one of the most respected actors of his generation in Estonia. He graduated as an actor from Viljandi Culture College in 1995 and from 1999 to 2009 worked in the Von Krahl Theatre in Tallinn. Since then he has acted in numerous feature films and theater plays in Estonia and abroad. His most recent works include roles in the critically acclaimed films The Temptation of St. Tony and Autumn Ball by Estonian filmmaker Veiko Õunpuu as well as in Mushrooming by Estonian director Toomas Hussar. He has been nominated several times for the Estonian Theatre Awards and won best actor in 2012. Pirjo Honkasalo saw him in Chekhov’s Seagull at the Von Krahl Theatre. His charisma and his bright insight in interpreting his role made a great impression on her, as well as his strong voice. Since then she could not see anyone else in the role of Man in Concrete Night.

A N N E L I K A R P P I N E N

(born 1964) has had a long career in theater as an actress with a master’s degree in theater and drama from the University of Tampere and a degree in acting from the same university. She has been an acclaimed actress and played mostly in leading roles in Oulu City Theatre and Jyväskylä City Theatre. Pirjo Honkasalo first saw her acting in the TV series Tehdas, written by Pirkko Saisio. She was taken with her fragile sensitivity and vivid countenance and could immediately see her as the well-meaning but unpredictable Mother of the two boys in Concrete Night. This is Anneli’s first major role in a feature film.

P I R K K O S A I S I O (born 1949) is one of the most well-known authors in Finland. She is a trained actor in addition to having been nominated for the Finlandia Prize (the most prestigious literary award in Finland) five times. When she won in 2003 for her novel The Letter of Farewell (Punainen erokirja), she strongly criticised the bidding of art and donated the entire prize to SETA – LGBTI Rights in Finland organisation. Saisio is also a well-known playwright and her adaptation of Concrete Night has been staged in Peru, Venezuela and Sweden as well as Finland.

P E T E R F L I N C K E N B E R G (born 1971) is one of the most courageous and experienced cinematographers of the younger film generation in Finland. He has worked both in documentaries and features, and his latest works include the Oscar® nominated short Do I Have to Take Care of Everything? (by Selma Vilhunen, 2012), Miss Blue Jeans (by Matti Kinnunen, 2012), Love and Engineering (by Tonislav Hristov, 2014) and Pixadores (by Amir Escandari, 2014).

J A N I L E H T I N E N (born 1970) has worked in over 40 feature films in Finland and abroad and is one of the most creative and experienced gaffers to come out of Finland. He has worked on films such as David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), Lasse Hallström’s The Hypnotist (2012) and Antti Jokinen’s The Purge (2012).

N I E L S P A G H A N D E R S E N

(born 1966) has edited over 250 films to date, many of which have received wide international recognition. He has worked with such acknowledged filmmakers as Joshua Oppenheimer, Jan Troell and Gabriel Axel. He has edited, among others, the Oscar® nominated films The Act of Killing (2012) by Joshua Oppenheimer, Pathfinder (1987) by Nils Gaup, the Emmy nominated documentary Prostitution Behind the Veil (2004) by Nahid Persson and Pirjo Honkasalo’s famous The 3 Rooms of Melancholia (2004).

J A N A L V E R M A R K

(born 1951) is one of the most experienced and talented sound designers in Sweden. He has worked with acclaimed directors such as Roy Anderson and Ruben Östlund. Besides documentaries and feature films he has also worked on art installations (eg. together with Marianne Lindberg De Geer).

P E N T T I V A L K E A S U O (born 1950) has now worked with Pirjo Honkasalo for over 30 years. Valkeasuo is by far one of the most experienced art directors and production designers in Finland, having worked on such films as The Border by Lauri Törhönen (2007) and The Interrogation by Jörn Donner (2009). He also received the Jussi Award (Finnish equivalent to the Oscars) as part of the best working crew in Honkasalo’s film Flame Top in 1981.

ABOUT THE PRINCIPAL CREW

B U F OFounded in 2007 by producers Misha Jaari, Mark Lwoff and screenwriter Vesa Virtanen, Bufo has produced a number of fiction films of which many have received inter-national recognition. Based in Helsinki, the ambitious and thrill-seeking company concentrates on plot-driven and meaningful stories that can also entertain big audiences. Bufo’s films all share the elements of clear artistic vision, innovation and high quality.

Lwoff and Jaari have produced for Bufo such films as Korso (2014) directed by Akseli Tuomivaara, The Good Son (2011) by Zaida Bergroth and The Interrogation (2010) by Jörn Donner. Currently Bufo is involved in several productions with acclaimed European directors such as Estonian Veiko Õunpuu and the Academy Award Winner Jörn Donner, whose film Armi Alive! about the founder of the iconic Finnish design company Marimekko is now in post-production.

Furthermore, Bufo has been involved in a number of Eu-ropean co-productions, such as the 3D stop-motion feature Lisa Limone directed by Mait Laas and produced together with the Estonian Nuku Film, and The Role directed by Konstantin Lopushansky and produced together with the Russian Proline Film.

P L A T T F O R M P R O D U K T I O NPlattform Produktion is one of Sweden’s most innovative production houses, founded in 2002 by producer Erik Hemmendorff and director Ruben Östlund. Plattform Produktion’s key activity is the production of feature films, documentaries and shorts. The company has already gained international recognition for producing engaging and auteur-¬driven films including Turist/Force Majeure (2014), PLAY (2011), Incident By A Bank (2010), Involuntary (2008), The Guitar Mongoloid (2004), Twin Brothers (2011), The Extraordinary Ordinary Life Of José González (2010) and Greetings From The Woods (2009). Plattform Produktion co-‐produces a few selected international feature films. Currently in production are DAU by Ilya Khrzhanovsky in co‐production with Phenomen Films, Essential Filmpro-duktion GmbH and Coproduction Office, and Bypass by Duane Hopkins in co-¬production with Third Films.

ABOUT THE PRODUCERS

M A G I C H O U R F I L M SFounded in 1984 by producer Lise Lense-Møller the company has produced and co-produced a wealth of films – both feature films, creative documentaries, and shorts for children. Most of the films have been international co-produc-tions, starting with 300 Miles to Heaven, a Danish/ Polish/French feature film directed by Maciej Dejczer, which received European Film Acad-emy Award for Best Young Film in 1989, and the Cannes Junior in 1990. Recent international releases include the Oscar-nominated Burma VJ, a feature documentary by Anders Østergaard, which took home 51 international awards and Into Eternity by Michael Madsen with 18 interna-tional awards. Østergaard’s next film 1989 will be released in November 2014, and Madsen’s next film The Visit in January 2015.

P R I N C I P A L C A S T

Johannes Brotherus (Simo) Jari Virman (Ilkka) Juhan Ulfsak (Man) Anneli Karppinen (Mother)

P R I N C I P A L C R E W

Director: Pirjo HonkasaloScreenplay: Pirkko Saisio, Pirjo Honkasalo (adapted from Pirkko Saisio’s novel Betoniyö published in 1981)Director of photography: Peter Flinckenberg F.S.C.Gaffer: Jani LehtinenProduction design: Pentti ValkeasuoSet dresser & property master: Otso LinnalaaksoSound recording: Karri NiinivaaraCostume design: Saija SiekkinenMake-up design: Pia MikkonenAssistant director: Heini JunkkaalaProduction manager: Sanna ÖstmanProduction coordinator: Helena MielonenLocation manager: Jonas NourissonEditing: Niels Pagh AndersenGrading: Jussi MyllyniemiVFX: TrixSound design: Jan AlvermarkMusic: Karl Frid, Pär FridSound mix: Niels ArildProducers: Misha Jaari, Mark LwoffProduction company: Bufo LtdCo-Producers: Erik Hemmendorff, Marie Kjellson / Plattform Produktion, Lise Lense-Møller, Cecilia Valsted / Magic Hour Films

DETAILS

T E C H N I C A L I N F O Original title: Betoniyö English title: Concrete NightCountries of production: Finland, Sweden, DenmarkYear of production: 2013Language: Finnish with English subtitles

Genre: Fiction/dramaRunning time: 96 minShooting format: Alexa Studio HD, anamorphic lensesScreening format: DCPScreen ratio: 2.39:1Frames per second: 24Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Colour and black and white

Financiers: Finnish Film Foundation, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, Swedish Film Institute, Danish Film Institute Broadcasters: YLE, DROfficial website: www.concretenight.com Trailer: http://vimeo.com/bufocompany/concretenight

A W A R D S , N O M I N A T I O N S

« Finland’s Official Submission for Foreign Language Film at the Oscars® and Golden Globes® 2014

« Nomination for Nordic Council Film Prize 2014

«Long-listed for the European Film Awards 2014

« A Golden Arena for Best Feature Film at Pula Film Festival in Croatia, July 12-26 2014

« Officine Lab Award to the Best not leading Actor to Jari Virman at European Film Festival in Lecce, April 28 – May 3 2014

« 6 Jussi Awards (The Finnish equivalent to the Oscars): Best Film, Director (Pirjo Honkasalo), Cinematography (Peter Flinckenberg), Set Design (Pentti Valkeasuo), Sound Design (Jan Alvermark), Editing (Niels Pagh Andersen)

F E S T I V A L S

«World premiere: Toronto International Film Festival’s Masters Series, September 2013

«St. Petersburg International Film Festival (Competition Programme), September 20th 2013

«Warsaw International Film Festival (International Competition), October 11–20 2013

« Thessaloniki International Film Festival, November 1-10 2013

« Plus Camerimage – The International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography (Main Competition), November 16-23 2013

« Rotterdam International Film Festival, January 22 – February 2 2014

« Göteborg International Film Festival (Dragon Award Competition), January 24 - February 2 2014

See full list at: www.concretenight.com/screenings

“ S T U N N I N G T O L O O K A T

A N D C H I L L I N G A T I T S C O R E , C O N C R E T E N I G H T

I S A T A L E O F I N N O C E N C E L O S T I N A P L A C E

W H E R E H AV I N G R E T A I N E D I N N O C E N C E A T A L L I S

S O M E T H I N G O F A F E A T . ”

– J o h n D e F o r e , T h e H o l l y w o o d R e p o r t e r