Country: Finland, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany
Year: 2022
Duration: 98'
Pepe is a woodcutter in an idyllic small town in northern Finland. Over the span of a couple of days, a series of events gradually destroys the quiet and happy life he once had. But Pepe seems to be totally fine with it all. As the ensuing days throw all sorts of chaos and strife and surreal adventure at him, Pepe remains determined to look on the bright side of life. Always smiling, always optimistic. As if he knew a secret to existence that no one else did...
Biography
film director
Mikko Myllylahti
(Oulu, Finland, 1980) is a Finnish author and filmmaker. He has a background as poet. His first collection The Heated Engines of Cars After Homecoming was published in 2003 and since then he has written several published collections with critical acclaim and awards. He graduated from ELO Helsinki Film School in 2012 and his short films have shown in several major festivals, including Love in Vain (Locarno) and Pyramid (Student Prize in Tampere). The Handbag was nominated for Best Nordic Short Film in 2013. He is the screenwriter of The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki, directed by Juho Kuosmanen and Prix Un Certain Regard in Cannes 2016. The Woodcutter's Story is his first feature.
FILMOGRAFIA
Lintu (cm, 2006), Kurjuuden kuningas (Love in Vain, cm, 2009), Pyramidi (cm, 2012), Käsilaukku (Handbag, cm, 2013), Dijon juttu (cm, 2016), Tiikeri (The Tiger, cm, 2018).
Declaration
film director
“I once encountered a peculiar woodcutter from the North, not far from my hometown. He told me about his life, how he was forced to leave the village and his family, how he lost everything. It was a sad story, but he seemed to be surprisingly fine with it. He accepted his ordeals with a smile on his face. I was baffled by the faith of this benevolent man. As if he knew a meaning of his own, but wasn’t sharing it with us and this secret is rooted deep in his existence. The more I thought of him and his attitude towards life I started to realize a potential for a story, a tale about the possibility of hope in our modern world filled with uncertainty and fear. I wanted to create a poetic universe where my kind woodcutter could live in, a quirky little village covered in snow and darkness, accompanied with the ensemble of strange characters, like the Barber and the Psychic Singer, or Miners trudging in the snow while pondering philosophical questions. This is how The Woodcutter Story was born”.
Cast
& Credits
DIRECTOR, SCREENPLAY: Mikko Myllylahti. CINEMATOGRAPHY: Arsen Sarkisiants. FILM EDITING: Jussi Rautaniemi. PRODUCTION DESIGN: Milja Aho. COSTUME DESIGN: Minke Lunter. MUSIC: Jonas Struck. SOUND: Jorma Kaulanen, Peter Albrectsen. CAST: Jarkko Lahti, HP Björkman, Iivo Tuuri, Marc Gassot, Katja Küttner, Ulla Tapaninen, Armi Toivanen. PRODUCER: Emilia Haukka. PRODUCTION: Aamu Film Company. CO-PRODUCTION: Chtungpanda!, Beofilm, Keplerfilm.
CONTACT:
Totem Films hello@totem-films.com
