Which Famous Finn from History Are You?

I know this quiz has probably done the rounds a few times already, but I'd not seen it before, so I thought I'd share it with you for a bit of Thursday morning fun.



I got Tove Jansson, the famous creator of the Moomintrolls; a perfect fit for me! Which famous person from Finland's history did you get?

Moomins on the Riviera out in UK cinemas tomorrow!

I wrote about this wonderful new animated Moomintrolls film (here), when it was featured in the London Film Festival last autumn. At that time the film only got two showings here in the UK, but now at last it'll be on general release from tomorrow onwards.

So if you are a Moomin fan, or just fancy a feel-good film about life, love and family, go and see this fantastic film. Its funny, its heartbreaking and beautifully hand-drawn, whilst still being faithful to Tove Jansson's original artwork.

Time Out gives the film 4 stars, and The Guardian too is waxing lyrical about this Finnish/French production.

Moomintrolls at Uniqlo

Apologies for another Moomin post, but I thought I'd share with you the new Moomin range from Uniqlo, the Japanese clothing giant.

There are some lovely pieces here, and as a firm Little My fan, I think I'd pick this one.

WOMEN Moomin Long Sleeve Sweat Pullover Hoodie

• £19.90

Which one do you like?

Moomins on the Riviera to be on general release in the UK

Vertigo takes Moomins for UK

Indie Sales handles rights to Moomins On The Riviera; UK release planned for May 2015.

Vertigo has acquired UK rights to Moomins On The Riviera from Paris-based sales company Indie Sales.

The hand-drawn 2D animation feature, directed by Xavier Picard, recently played at the BFI London Film Festival and is already a huge box-office hit in its local Finland.

The film is adapted from Tove Jansson’s original comic strips, and tells the story of the Moomin clan on a journey to the glamorous Riviera where they meet a world of new people including would-be artists, film stars and playboys.

The creative team behind the movie includes Sophia Jansson, Tove’s niece, along with Finnish producer Hanna Hemila (Le Havre).

The voice cast for the English-language version of the film includes Russell Tovey as Moomin and Nathaniel Parker as Moominpappa.

Vertigo’s Rupert Preston and Nicolas Eschbach of Indie Sales negotiated the deal.

Eschbach said, “Moomins on the Rivera are in good hands. Vertigo are the kings of releasing family films in the UK!”.

Preston said, “We are thrilled to be bringing the Moomins to UK audiences – they have a huge fan base here and both adults and children will love the movie.”

Vertigo’s upcoming slate also includes Susanne Bier’s A Second Chance, Tom Green’s Monsters: Dark Continent,and Jo Nesbo’s Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder.  

Article first published on Screen Daily, by Wendy Mitchell

Moomins on the Riviera - a new feature film

I was lucky enough to be invited to the press screening and interview sessions with the team of the new Moomins on the Riviera film yesterday. This is one of the bonuses of being Head of Finn-Guild, the Finnish-British society, and editor of our quarterly magazine. As a blogger, I have been invited to press screenings before, but this was particularly special for me because the Producer of this film is an 'old' school and university friend, Hanna Hemilä. Plus the film, which is a French/Finnish collaboration, features my favourite Finnish comic strip cartoons, the Moomintrolls.

Inspired by her own visit to the Riviera with her mother, Jansson created Moomins on the Riviera, a charming tale which addresses universal aspects of life such as finding joy in small things, the value of cross-cultural understanding and the power of optimism. This new hand-drawn feature animation  is the first time there has been an audio visual adaptation of Jansson’s original comic strip.

There have been surprisingly few full-length films featuring the Moomins, something I quizzed Sophia Jansson, the artistic Director of Moomin Characters Ltd, and niece of the creator of these popular creatures, about. 

'I'm surprised about this myself,' she said. 

Hanna Hemilä (left) with Sophia Jansson (right)

Sophia told me she'd simply not had many pitches where a film maker wanted to use the hand-drawn comic strips. She mentioned this fact to our mutual friend, Hanna Hemilä, a few years ago. 'But I'm a film producer,' said Hanna, and promptly contacted Xavier Picard, and together the two made a proposal which Sophia gladly accepted. As those of you who've ever been involved in film making know, it's a process which takes years, and there are many hurdles to be jumped. Sophia said Hanna warned her that the project would take some time, so she was prepared for the four-year time span, during which she was involved at every stage of the production, ensuring that Tove Jansson's original work was sympathetically represented. 

Director Xavier Picard

The French Director Xavier Picard told me that he had himself been introduced to Moomins many years ago, when working in Tokyo. He said the Moomin comic strips have never really been widely known in France in a way they have in Japan, or here in the UK. Since then, Xavier said he'd grown fond of both the artwork and the ethos of the Moominpappa, 'To live in peace, grow potatoes and dream,' and that a major reason why he wanted to do the film was to get people in France to learn to love Moomins as much as he does.

In the UK the  comic strips were first published by The London Evening News as early as 1954.  At the time, the Moomin characters were all over London, and advertised on the side of the double decker buses. So, it's quite fitting that the International Premier for the newest Moomin film should take place in London today.

When I asked Hanna about her biggest challenges in producing a Moomin film, she told me it was at first difficult to convince the movie people that a new cartoon strip film should be in 2D, and not in 3D. 'Tove Jansson's hand-drawn drawings would not work in 3D,' she said. Secondly it was difficult to explain that the Moomin characters have universal appeal; that the stories have sadness and humour, which works both on adult and children's level.


Here's  the short synopsis of the film:

The Moomins, Snorkmaiden and Little My, in search of adventures of their own, set sail for the glamorous Riviera. They arrive after a journey fraught with menacing storms and desert island dangers, Moominpappa (Nathaniel Parker) befriends an aristocrat and adopts a new name ‘de Moomin’, Snorkmaiden (Stephanie Winiecki) is dazzled by the attentions of a playboy, and Moomin (Russell Tovey) is torn between the simple life he feels comfortable with, and the luxurious movie star lifestyle that his beloved Snorkmaiden yearns to have. An exasperated Moominmamma (Tracy Ann Oberman) retires to the relative calm of their trusty old boat to wait for her family to come to their senses. For the very first time, the unity of the Moomins is threatened.

I thoroughly enjoyed the film, and particularly a little side story about a dog, who to his shame only likes cats. Moominmamma is at hand to solve the dog's problem by convincing another dog to be painted with stripes and so disguised as a cat. 'Is the paint water proof?' asks the ever street-wise Little My. And as predicted both dogs happily play together until the cat/dog goes for a swim...

Do go and see this wonderful film - apart from the humour and loveliness of the script, the Moomins on the Riviera is beautifully produced in a wonderful pastel colour palette, which leaves you feeling sunny and happy. Just as if you too had had a little trip to the Riviera.

Below is a clip from the film, where Moominpappa is chatting about 'de Moomins' with his new friend Marquis Mongaga.

Moomins on the Riviera will be showing at the London Film Festival
1 pm 11 October 2014 Hackney Picture House (Sold Out)
3 pm 18 October 2014 Odeon Leicester Square (Buy tickets here) 

'MOOMINS ON THE RIVIERA’ CAST ANNOUNCED

I am so excited to be able to share the English-speaking cast of this new Moomin film, announced in Helsinki today, with you. I'm particularly excited about Russell Tovey and the local North London stand-up comic, Dominic Frisby. I cannot wait to see the film!

The hand drawn animation feature Moomins on the Riviera’s English cast is revealed:

Award winning British actor Russell Tovey (The Pirates! Band of Misfits, Grabbers, Being Human, Him and Her) plays Moomin. Nathaniel Parker (Merlin, Stardust, The Haunted Mansion, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) and Tracy Ann Oberman (EastEnders, Filth) play Moominpappa and Moominmamma respectively. Stephanie Winiecki, in her first major movie role, plays Snorkmaiden. 

The irrepressible Little My is played by Ruth Gibson. Philippe Smolikowski is Moominpappa’s new best friend, the wannabe artist, Marquis Mongaga. Dave Browne plays the upper-crust playboy Clark Tresco, who sets his sights on Snorkmaiden. Shelley Blond (Tomb Rider video game, Cruise of Gods) plays Audrey Glamour, the Hollywood actress, idolised by Snorkmaiden.

Other roles are played by Dominic Frisby (The Inbetweeners Movie), Ian Conningham, Alison O’Donnell, Bernard Alane, Bruno Magnes, Maria Sid, Beata Harju, Andy Turvey, Kris Gummerus, Glyn Banks, Lee Willis, Sanna-June Hyde, Christopher Sloan and Leslie Hyde.

You can watch the English trailer at:

www.moominsontheriviera.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ie8lqrOe_4

http://vimeo.com/handleproductions/moomin 

MOOMINS ON THE RIVIERA, based on the original comic strips by the celebrated author, painter and illustrator Tove Jansson, is a bitter-sweet adventure taking the Moomin familyfrom their beloved Moominvalley to the glamorous Riviera, where Moominpappa befriends an aristocrat and adopts the name ‘de Moomin’,  where Snorkmaiden is dazzled by the attentions of a playboy and Moomin learns that jealousy’s sting is the most painful of all. For the very first time, the unity of the Moomins is threatened.

A Finnish/French co-production, the film is directed by Xavier Picard and produced by Hanna Hemilä.                

Le Havre by Aki Kaurismäki

Andre Wilms and Francois Monnie

Le Havre, the latest film by the maverick Finnish Director, Aki Kaurismäki, premiered in London last night. It has taken a long time to arrive here across the Channel, because this Finnish/French collaboration was first shown in Cannes last year and is already out on DVD in Finland. But the fact that an European art film of this kind is on even general release here, with a reasonable ad campaign, must be seen as a good thing. So better late than never, I say.

Advert in The Standard Thursday 5 April 2012

I dragged my whole family to The Renoir near Russell Square in London to see Le Havre, partly because of the Finnish director, and I never miss an opportunity to remind the now grown-up children of their Finnish roots. Also, The Man Without a Past is one of my favourite films and I went to school and university with the Executive Producer of Le Havre, Hanna Hemilä.

Le Havre is a story, told in French with French/Finnish cast, of a kindly shoe shiner Marcel Marx (Andre Wilms) who, having fallen on bad times (too many people wear sports shoes nowadays), takes pity on an illegal African immigrant boy, Idrissa, (Blondin Miguel) and hides him from the French authorities. But this is a Kaurismäki film, so we're not plunged into a dark tale of social injustice, nor into a fast plotted thriller. At each turn our assumptions are overturned as this simple tale of good and bad becomes more and more surreal.

The pace of the film is in Kaurismäki's signature style, slow. The director allows us the time to examine each character in detail. The still shots are like pieces of static art, rather than scenes out of moving pictures. At the start of the film, for example, Idrissa is told to flee the container in which he is found merely by the facial expressions of his (we find out later) grandfather. Or, we are initially told of the terrible illness of Marcel's wife, Arletty (Kati Outinen - a veteran of Kaurismäki's films), through her silent suffering.

As a consequence Le Havre is like watching a cartoon in slow motion. In my opinion this lack of pace is the Achilles heel of the film. Although beautifully shot and plotted, I think Le Havre could have been about half an hour shorter. As an old teacher of my creative writing class once said, 'There's no excuse for boring the reader.' I think the same goes for films. However beautifully shot, however cleverly plotted, however good the dialogue is, none of it is any use if the audience, half-way through it, fidgeting in their seats, are wishing for the film to end.

In spite of this, there are some funny, laugh-out-loud, moments in the film. The dialogue between the characters is often truly comic, as is the general chatter we are privy to in the bar which Monsieur Marx frequents. But the comedy arrives too late - Kaurismäki does not allow his audience to feel the humour until they've already wished the film's speedy conclusion.

This slow pace and the still shots put great pressure on the actors, something which they all deal with admirably. Andre Wilms as Marcel Marx in the lead is superbly understated in his natural generosity; Francois Monnie as the Detective with a kind heart is quietly menacing. I've also been a fan of Elina Salo since I was growing up in Finland and she was always on TV in old black and white 50's films, or as the voice of Little My in the Moomintrolls. Here she is brilliantly cast as the pretty, ageing cafe owner, Claire, with a heavy past.

Elina Salo with Andre Wilms

There is one thing in Le Havre that puzzled all of us, that of the appearance of boiled eggs. They were everywhere: in Marcel's lunchbox, at the counter in Claire's bar, even on the breakfast table chez Marx.

For all its slowness of pace, I'd still recommend you go and see this film (and not just because of my Finnish connections). Kaurismäki has a knack for making his stories and characters stay with you forever. I've been reliving Le Havre all night - hence this blog.

There is an excellent interview by Simon Hattenstone with Aki Kaurismäki in The Guardian online here.

Tampere in Conde Nast Traveller

Hämeensilta, Tampere

I couldn't believe it when a friend today told me there was an article in the latest Conde Nast Traveller about my home town, Tampere. Had Manse, (as the locals call it) an industrial city in the centre of Finland, suddenly become trendy? Imagine if FT's How to Spend it recommended you'd take a long weekend in Doncaster. (Forgive me if it's your home town - I have nothing against Doncaster...)

I was even more bowled over when I saw it was a 4-page feature, lauding the allure of the old restored industrial factory buildings, where during the war my grandfather worked making anti-tank guns, or the Tammerkoski rapids, which I was afraid I'd fall into when I was little.

Next I found tears welling up in my eyes when the author, Jonathan Bastable, described the haunting frescos inside Tampere Cathedral. As a child I spent many a boring sermon staring at the image of Hugo Simberg's Wounded Angel wondering exactly how the creature had been hurt. Twenty years later it was at this same church that I married my Englishman.

The Wounded Angel by Hugo Simberg - picture Wikipedia

But the best part of this brilliant piece on Tampere was the last paragraph where Bastable spends a quiet moment eating 'surely the most delicious doughnuts in all Scandinavia' (YES!) by Pyynikki observation tower.

Pyynikki observation tower

'Through the tall straight trunks of trees I could glimpse the two vast lakes on which the town below has always depended on for its prosperity, Näsijärvi to the left of me, Pyhäjärvi to the right. For a moment I forgot I was in populous, post-industrial Manse, and felt instead that I was alone on a fir-covered islet, in the midst of a still northern sea.'

Näsijärvi

Sunset over Pyhäjärvi

I can't wait to visit Tampere again this summer. I must remember to go and have one of those excellent doughnuts and admire the view.

Angry Birds and Moomintrolls

When I was in Finland this spring, a friend of mine asked if I'd ever heard of Angry Birds. I had no idea what she was talking about. When she told me it was a computer game I was even more surprised: I didn't think she played them, let alone knew the names of such games.

'It's a world-wide success, you know, ' she said.

I just didn't know what to say - during the thirty or so years we'd known each other I'd never discussed computers with her, let alone games to play on them.

'It's Finnish,' she said proudly.

Then she told me the whole story of this addictive game where, using a touch screen you fire wingless birds as bombs into a fortified camp of evil pigs. Jaakko Iisalo, a games designer, came up with the design and idea of Angry Birds when bored during a business conference. The company, Rovio Mobile, which developed the software and has since sold 12 million copies of the game, has been lauded in Finland as 'The New Nokia'.

I admit to now being one of the addicts of this game. It's another brilliant way of whiling away hours of writing time. (I'm always on the look-out for new ways to procrastinate.)

But I was also struck by the similarities between the design of the characters and that of the other Finnish graphic cartoon classics, the Moomintrolls. The simple and graceful characters have something so uniquely human about them and combined with the wry humour of Jansson's writing you cannot fail to love the Moomins. Angry Birds don't exactly do the same, I agree, still I'm sure if Tove Jansson was alive now she'd be developing a Moomintroll game. (Don't tell me there already is one in existence?)

Moomintroll and Snufkin by Tove Jansson

I've been a fan of the Moomins forever - I grew up reading Tove Jansson's books and watching the cartoons on TV. Now I am addicted to buying all Moomin related merchandise - from mugs to cartoon strips. I'm not sure I will be buying any Angry Birds mugs, but you never know they might be the classic of the next generation.

My mug collection

The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip - Volume Five