Aki Olavi Kaurismäki (pronounced [ˈɑki ˈkɑurismæki] (help·info)) (born April 4, 1957, Orimattila, Finland) is a Finnish script writer and film director.
After studying Media Studies at University of Helsinki, Aki Kaurismäki started his career as a co-director in the films of his elder brother Mika Kaurismäki. His debut as an independent director was Crime and Punishment (1983), Dostoevsky's famous crime story set in modern-day Helsinki. He gained...
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Aki Olavi Kaurismäki (pronounced [ˈɑki ˈkɑurismæki] (help·info)) (born April 4, 1957, Orimattila, Finland) is a Finnish script writer and film director.
After studying Media Studies at University of Helsinki, Aki Kaurismäki started his career as a co-director in the films of his elder brother Mika Kaurismäki. His debut as an independent director was Crime and Punishment (1983), Dostoevsky's famous crime story set in modern-day Helsinki. He gained worldwide notice with his movie Leningrad Cowboys Go America.
His style has been influenced by the French directors Jean-Pierre Melville and Robert Bresson, as he relies on low-key acting and simple cinematic storytelling to get his message(s) across. Critics have also seen an influence from Rainer Werner Fassbinder but Kaurismäki - a keen film buff himself - has said that he somehow never got around to seeing any Fassbinder movies until quite recently. His movies have a unique downplayed humorous side that can also be seen in the films of...
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