Tekele Productions in Finland revealed the first look of the expected drama of Aleksi Salmenperä “Fath’s Day”.
Salmenperä is the award -winning director and writer behind “Void”, “Bubble” and “The Mine”, but his eighth feature film – which should be presented to the Finnish event of the Helsinki Film Festival – will be “different from his previous films,” he said.
“Regarding the reactions of those who have seen it, they seem more emotional. Which is of course good! Even more because amateurs represent 60% of the main distribution.”
He added: “I really tried to keep the plot simpler than ever and to forget the book of rules. During writing, I remembered reality – I avoided the temptation of imagination. I wondered:” How would that happen in a film? “And followed this path.
In the film, which takes place in first in the spring, the twin teenagers finally decide to find their father. They never met him and their mother (Laura Birn) remains a mother on the subject, but their investigation leads them to the sick alcoholic Tinke (Tomi Lindfors) and his only friend Veikko (Tommi Korpela).
“What makes this film special is Tomi Lindfors. He is a man with a tragic past,” said Salmenperä about his advance.
“He has been drinking for 40 years and has lost all his loved ones. He is in a weak physical condition, which he is unable to hide, and yet he is brilliant, positive and polite. Tomi does not want pity of anyone and does not see his life as a failure. He was quite courageous to bring it all to the table.”
Lindfors “is played mainly in the film,” admitted Salmenperä, with “all his problems and injuries”.
It was Tomi’s childhood friend, the well -known actor Tommi Korpela, who presented them when he turned “empty”.
“Tomi played a small role in this film and I was impressed by his presence in front of the camera. The whole concept of the” Father’s Day “was more or less based on their friendship, so I was lucky that Tomi really wanted to play the role. The script was written around him. He is not able to hide his physical state or his charm.”
“Before filming, he asked me if he was normal for him to feel a small compassion for his character. I said:” It’s good. But don’t let the camera see him. “”
According to producer Miia Haavisto, Salmenperä “dares to see humor in somewhat severe reality” and brings her to his staging, so that she feels “raw, authentic and touching”.
“I am particularly proud of the” Father’s Day “being an original story which takes place today, especially given the scarcity of such stories in recent years,” she said, calling it a “unique but logical chapter of her artistic work”.
“I hope that the film shows how fragile and lost we are. But rather than going there, it embraces this reality and this solidarity which still exist there.”
Tekele Productions, founded in 2017 and held by Haavisto, Marja Pihlaja and Julia Elomäki, is also at work on the upcoming titles “Máttáráhká” by Suvi West – also known as “When Johan Johanaš disappeared in the mountains” – and “Offepring” by Niklas Lindgren.
The company based in Helsinki has just acquired 20% of fragile ego films, led by producer and CEO Johan-Sebastian Rintala and the “Octopus” development series written by Emmi-Liia Sjöholm.
“I am delighted to continue to produce comedy and art masts from the Fragile Ego Ego – only now with the support of Tekele Productions. I really liked working with Tekele and I am even more excited to rely on this collaboration in this new chapter for my own business,” noted Rintala, with Haavisto adds navigating better in this industry and making better and stronger projects. »»
“ Father’s day ”
Sami Kuokkanen / Making Productions
