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Frequently Asked Questions

On this page we have collected questions which come up once in a while. If you have another question you can click here to send it to us.

Where can I obtain DVDs or videos of Kaurismäki films?

We are sorry but we cannot help you. We do not offer DVDs or videos for sale, and the availability of films vary from country to country. There is usually only a very limited number of titles available. However, there are several good foreign video and DVD dealers that stock Kaurismäki items. Please try a search on the Internet.

What are the contact addresses of Aki Kaurismäki and Mika Kaurismäki?

Please contact them through their film production companies using the addresses below.

Aki Kaurismäki
Sputnik Oy
Museokatu 13 A
FIN-00100 Helsinki
Tel. +358 9 6877 100
Fax +358 9 6877 1010
e-mail: sputnik@sputnik.fi

Mika Kaurismäki
Marianna Films Oy
Punavuorenkatu 5 A 2
FIN-00120 Helsinki, Finland
Tel. +358 9 622 1614
Fax. +358 9 622 1614
e-mail: Office@marfilm.pp.fi

I've heard that Mika Kaurismäki runs a bar in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. How can I find it so that I could pop in some time?

Yes, Mika did run a bar in Rio. It was simply called "Mika's Bar" and it was located at the address Rua Visconde de Pirajá, 112, Ipanema, Brazil, tel. 267-5860. However, he no longer owns the bar; he sold it in late 2001.

Your site design could be improved by adding a feature to access a certain film instantly, without browsing through a whole category of films. Have you any plans on implementing this?

This has been sorted out as a new navigation system has been introduced in version 6.

I am a big fan of The Leningrad Cowboys and I would like to watch "These Boots" and the other short films that Aki has made for them. Have they ever been released on video anywhere?

These short films have been included as extras on an European DVD release of Aki's "Total Balalaika Show". Please search with Internet DVD retailers. There is also a VHS/PAL tape published by Sputnik/Megamania which contains "Rock'Y VI", "Thru The Wire", "L.A.Woman", "Those Were The Days", and "These Boots". It has no catalogue number and seems to be available exclusively at Finnish public libraries for loan.

What does "Siunattu teknologia!" mean and where does the name come from?

It is a phrase that Manne (Matti Pellonpää) speaks in Mika's "Arvottomat" (The Worthless) when he is advised by a telephone operator that it is possible to direct dial to Paris. Literally, it means "Bless the technology!". We chose this name because it aptly illustrates the miracle of Internet technology that allows you to read these lines and to browse our site.

Why is there no review of "The Worthless"? I am no expert, but I think it is the best of the early Kaurismäki films.

We agree. This is precisely why there is no review so far. There is so much to say about it that it is difficult to begin with the work.

Where can I find a copy of Joe Strummer's single "Burning Lights/Afro-Cuban Be-Pop", his single with songs from Aki's "I Hired A Contract Killer" (1990)?

The information in the discography is about all we are able to offer. We have never seen the actual disc and searches for it have produced no result whatsoever. It seems that these two Joe Strummer tracks have never been released elsewhere. The record certainly is ultra-rare and very difficult to find by now. However, there is proof that it exists: it appears in the Finnish National Discography and it was even reviewed in NME in 1990. We suspect that only a very limited number was made (a couple of hundred copies perhaps), and it is likely that the record was distributed for promotional use only.