Aki Kaurismäki

Arriving in Helsinki, a nameless man is beaten within an inch of his life by thugs, miraculously recovering only to find that he has completely lost his memory. Back on the streets, he attempts to begin again from zero, befriending a moody dog and becoming besotted with a Salvation Army volunteer.

Dir. Aki Kaurismäki · With Markku Peltola, Kati Outinen, Juhani Niemelä

The ever-poker-faced Ilona loses her job as a restaurant hostess, as her tram driver husband, Lauri, also finds himself out of work. Together they must hit the streets of Helsinki, facing up to hardship and humiliation in their quest for survival, guided through the gloom by a ray of hope.

Dir. Aki Kaurismäki · With Kati Outinen, Kari Väänänen, Elina Salo

Three penniless artists become friends in modern-day Paris: Rodolfo, an Albanian painter with no visa, Marcel, a playwright and magazine editor with no publisher, and Schaunard, a post-modernist composer of execrable noise.

Dir. Aki Kaurismäki · With Matti Pellonpää, Evelyne Didi, André Wilms

Nikander, a rubbish collector and would-be entrepreneur, finds his plans for success dashed when his business associate dies. One evening, he meets Ilona, a down-on-her-luck cashier, in a local supermarket. Falteringly, a bond begins to develop between them.

Dir. Aki Kaurismäki · With Matti Pellonpää, Kati Outinen, Sakari Kuosmanen

In modern-day Helsinki, two lonely souls in search of love meet by chance in a karaoke bar. However, their path to happiness is beset by obstacles – from lost phone numbers to mistaken addresses, alcoholism, and a charming stray dog.

Dir. Aki Kaurismäki · With Alma Pöysti, Jussi Vatanen, Janne Hyytiäinen

A Finnish man goes to the city to find a job after the mine where he worked is closed and his father commits suicide.

Dir. Aki Kaurismäki · With Turo Pajala, Susanna Haavisto, Matti Pellonpää

Iris is a shy and dowdy young woman stuck in a dead-end job at a match factory, who dreams of finding love at the local dancehall. Finding herself pregnant after a one-night stand and abandoned by the father, Iris finally decides the time has come to get even and she begins to plot her revenge.

Dir. Aki Kaurismäki · With Kati Outinen, Elina Salo, Esko Nikkari

A restaurateur befriends a Syrian refugee who has recently arrived in Finland.

Dir. Aki Kaurismäki · With Sherwan Haji, Sakari Kuosmanen, Kaija Pakarinen

The Leningrad Cowboys, a group of Siberian musicians, and their manager, travel to America seeking fame and fortune. As they cross the country, trying to get to a wedding in Mexico, they are followed by the village idiot, who wishes to join the band.

Dir. Aki Kaurismäki · With Matti Pellonpää, Kari Väänänen, Sakke Järvenpää

After losing his job and realizing that he is alone in the world, a businessman opts to voluntarily end his life. Lacking courage, he hires a contract killer to do the job. Then, while awaiting his demise, he meets a woman and promptly falls in love.

Dir. Aki Kaurismäki · With Jean-Pierre Léaud, Margi Clarke, Kenneth Colley

In the French harbor city of Le Havre, an elderly shoeshiner with an ailing wife crosses paths with a young African refugee pursued by the police for deportation.

Dir. Aki Kaurismäki · With André Wilms, Kati Outinen, Jean-Pierre Darroussin

Commissioned to mark the 60th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival, "To Each His Own Cinema" brought together 33 of the world's pre-eminent filmmakers to produce short pieces exploring the multifarious facets of cinema and their perspective on the state of their chosen artform in the early 21st century.

Dir. Michael Cimino, Luc Dardenne, Atom Egoyan, Chen Kaige, Manoel de Oliveira, Bille August, Andrei Konchalovsky, Claude Lelouch, Walter Salles, Tsai Ming-liang, Theo Angelopoulos, Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Olivier Assayas, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Takeshi Kitano, Roman Polanski, Gus Van Sant, Abbas Kiarostami, David Cronenberg, David Lynch, Jane Campion, Raymond Depardon, Amos Gitai, Nanni Moretti, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Elia Suleiman, Aki Kaurismäki, Raúl Ruiz, Lars von Trier, Wong Kar-Wai, Ken Loach, Wim Wenders, Youssef Chahine, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Zhang Yimou · With Golshifteh Farahani, Taraneh Alidoosti, Pegah Ahangarani

Outcast by his co-workers and living alone, Koistinen is a security guard who works the night shift in a luxury shopping mall in Helsinki. But when icy blonde Mirja approaches him, the lonely Koistinen falls helplessly for her, unaware she is manipulating him for her criminal boyfriend.

Dir. Aki Kaurismäki · With Janne Hyytiäinen, Maria Järvenhelmi, Maria Heiskanen