Istanbul Modern to host Finn duo’s films

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

A scene from ‘The Man without a Past,’ one of the films in the event. Company photo

Istanbul Modern Cinema is screening nine films between Dec. 3 and 18 featuring the fruitful collaboration between legendary Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki and actress Kati Outinen.

The Finnish pair’s collaboration started in 1986 with “Shadows in Paradise,” and, among others, continued with “The Man without a Past,” which earned Outinen a best actress award in Cannes. This collaboration continues today, with their latest film “Le Havre,” the Finnish entry for the 2012 Academy Awards.

Ranging from a Shakespeare adaptation to portraits of the proletariat, the film selection probes deeply into the cinema of Kaurismaki; while displaying his love for American film noir and the French New Wave, the portfolio takes a closer look at his nihilistic stance, the “melancholy of cafeterias,” his fairytale-like tones, and his loser and immature protagonists.

The films scheduled to be screened are “Shadows in Paradise,” “Hamlet Goes Business,” “The Match Factory Girl,” “Drifting Clouds,” “Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatiana! Juha,” “The Man without a Past,” “Lights in the Dusk,” “Cowboys of the North: Aki Kaurismäki Shorts,” “Those Were the Days,” “Thru the Wire,” “Dogs Have No Hell,” “Bico” and “The Foundry / Valimo.”

Outinen will also attend the screening of “Le Havre” on Dec. 3.