from ampr

DARK COMEDY FEATURES TWO OF FINLAND’S TOP ACTING AND MUSIC ICONS

Internationally acclaimed filmmaker Mika Kaurismäki (The House of Branching Love, Three Wise Men, Brothers) wrote, directed and produced Road North, a darkly comic and touching road movie about a prodigal father who returns to see his son 35 years after abandoning him. Road North will have its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2012 in the Contemporary World Cinema program. The international premiere in Toronto follows its strong opening weekend at the Finnish box office where it dominated the number one spot over the August 24-26, 2012 weekend, racking up 36,659 admissions and easily outdistancing all the Hollywood competition, including Disney’s Brave which followed in second place with 16,406 admissions.

Set against the vast expanse of the Finnish landscape, Road North stars the country’s leading film and music icons, Vesa-Matti Loiri (Leo) and Samuli Edelmann (Timo) as the estranged father and son. Comically polar opposites, the two head north in a stolen car, journeying through quirky pit-stops and shocking revelations until Timo comes to understand and empathize with his father.

Timo is an esteemed concert pianist whose personal life is on the rocks. One day Timo finds an older, shabby-looking man at his door. The man, Leo, turns out to be his long-lost father who left the country when Timo was three — and hasn’t been in touch in 35 years. Leo, an eternal trickster with a positive outlook on life, had to leave his homeland thanks to a series of messy entanglements. Now he’s come back to hand over a rather mysterious legacy to his son and to answer questions regarding the past. To do this, the two will have to embark on a trip together and hit the road north.

Loiri, who brings the charismatic and eccentric Leo to life, is a multitalented actor who during the course of a career spanning 50 years has appeared in more than 70 films and has recorded 32 top-selling music albums. Starring in the role of Timo is Samuli Edelmann, one of Finland’s most popular actors and singers, best known to North American audiences for his role as henchman Wistrom in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011).

Press & Industry screening:
Fri, Sept 7 @7:15pm – TIFF Bell Lightbox
Thurs, Sept 13 @ 9:00 am – Scotiabank

Public Screening:
Sat, Sept 8 @ 6:00 pm, Sun, Sept 9 @12.30 pm & Sun, Sept 16 @ 9:00 am – Cineplex Odeon Yonge & Dundas

Director, Mika Kaurismäki and lead actor, Samuli Edelmann (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol) (September 7-10)