Markku Pölönen

The Land of Happiness (1993)

Nostalgic comedy set in the early 1960s, when the tango was all the rage. The "prodigal son" Tenho returns from his unlucky adventures in the city back to his parents' farm. Tenho becomes the laughing stock of local men until he scores the hottest girl in the ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Markku Pölönen
CAST:  Katariina Kaitue  •  Pertti Koivula  •  Anja Pohjola  •  Veikko Tiitinen

Nostalgic comedy set in the early 1960s, when the tango was all the rage. The "prodigal son" Tenho returns from his unlucky adventures in the city back to his parents' farm. Tenho becomes the laughing stock of local men until he scores the hottest girl in the ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Markku Pölönen
CAST:  Katariina Kaitue  •  Pertti Koivula  •  Anja Pohjola  •  Veikko Tiitinen

The Last Wedding (1995)

Pekka arrives back to his home village of Jerusalem to celebrate the last wedding of the village. His own marriage seems to have reached a dead end. The people of the village gather to prepare for the event, and the bitter spectrum of all human life, with its joys ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Markku Pölönen
CAST:  Martti Suosalo  •  Henrika Andersson  •  Jarmo Mäkinen  •  Pertti Koivula

Pekka arrives back to his home village of Jerusalem to celebrate the last wedding of the village. His own marriage seems to have reached a dead end. The people of the village gather to prepare for the event, and the bitter spectrum of all human life, with its joys ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Markku Pölönen
CAST:  Martti Suosalo  •  Henrika Andersson  •  Jarmo Mäkinen  •  Pertti Koivula

On the Road to Emmaus (2001)

A cynical city dweller returns to his hometown to sell his family home, but becomes unexpectedly nostalgic.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Markku Pölönen
CAST:  Puntti Valtonen  •  Peter Franzén  •  Lotta Lehtikari  •  Katariina Kaitue

A cynical city dweller returns to his hometown to sell his family home, but becomes unexpectedly nostalgic.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Markku Pölönen
CAST:  Puntti Valtonen  •  Peter Franzén  •  Lotta Lehtikari  •  Katariina Kaitue

Dog Nail Clipper (2004)

Bright young soldier Mertsi suffers a permanent brain injury in the Second World War. In the late 1940s he wanders around the Finnish countryside looking for simple work and relying on other people's help. A workmate, Ville, tells him about his clever Spitz dog ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Markku Pölönen
CAST:  Peter Franzén  •  Ville Virtanen  •  Risto Salmi  •  Taisto Reimaluoto

Bright young soldier Mertsi suffers a permanent brain injury in the Second World War. In the late 1940s he wanders around the Finnish countryside looking for simple work and relying on other people's help. A workmate, Ville, tells him about his clever Spitz dog ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Markku Pölönen
CAST:  Peter Franzén  •  Ville Virtanen  •  Risto Salmi  •  Taisto Reimaluoto

A Summer by the River (1998)

Kuningasjätkä is set in North Karelia in the mid-1950s and depicts the summer of 10-year-old Topi at the boating site with his widowed father Tenho.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Markku Pölönen
CAST:  Pertti Koivula  •  Simo Kontio  •  Esko Nikkari  •  Anu Palevaara

Kuningasjätkä is set in North Karelia in the mid-1950s and depicts the summer of 10-year-old Topi at the boating site with his widowed father Tenho.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Markku Pölönen
CAST:  Pertti Koivula  •  Simo Kontio  •  Esko Nikkari  •  Anu Palevaara

The Matriarch (2007)

Martta and Otto are a pair of traveling tailors who claim to be bastard descendants of the Romanovs and wander from town to town in Finland seeking work, accompanied by their two half-witted adult sons, Hippo, Repe and equally silly son-in-law Ventti. The family ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Markku Pölönen
CAST:  Peter Franzén  •  Sanna-Kaisa Palo  •  Samuli Vauramo  •  Jenni Banerjee

Martta and Otto are a pair of traveling tailors who claim to be bastard descendants of the Romanovs and wander from town to town in Finland seeking work, accompanied by their two half-witted adult sons, Hippo, Repe and equally silly son-in-law Ventti. The family ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Markku Pölönen
CAST:  Peter Franzén  •  Sanna-Kaisa Palo  •  Samuli Vauramo  •  Jenni Banerjee

Rally On! (2009)

This rollicking sports comedy from Finnish director Markku Polonen follows the exploits of Seppo 'Sladi' Pesonen, an ex-top-tiered race car driver now reduced to instructing students at a driving school. To relieve the monotony of this undesired career, Pesonen ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Markku Pölönen
CAST:  Olavi Uusivirta  •  Laura Birn  •  Peter Franzén  •  Heikki Silvennoinen

This rollicking sports comedy from Finnish director Markku Polonen follows the exploits of Seppo 'Sladi' Pesonen, an ex-top-tiered race car driver now reduced to instructing students at a driving school. To relieve the monotony of this undesired career, Pesonen ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Markku Pölönen
CAST:  Olavi Uusivirta  •  Laura Birn  •  Peter Franzén  •  Heikki Silvennoinen

Badding (2000)

The life of Rauli "Badding" Somerjoki, a Finnish singer.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Markku Pölönen
CAST:  Janne Reinikainen  •  Peter Franzén  •  Karoliina Blackburn  •  Puntti Valtonen

The life of Rauli "Badding" Somerjoki, a Finnish singer.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Markku Pölönen
CAST:  Janne Reinikainen  •  Peter Franzén  •  Karoliina Blackburn  •  Puntti Valtonen

Land of Hope (2018)

Anni, a daughter of a wealthy family and used to secure life, falls in love with Veikko, a war invalid of the Continuation War. Anni leaves her past behind her and starts leading the life of a pioneer, in the wild forests of northern Karelia, in a settlement farm. ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Markku Pölönen
CAST:  Oona Airola  •  Konsta Laakso  •  Pyry Äikää  •  Mika Nuojua

Anni, a daughter of a wealthy family and used to secure life, falls in love with Veikko, a war invalid of the Continuation War. Anni leaves her past behind her and starts leading the life of a pioneer, in the wild forests of northern Karelia, in a settlement farm. ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Markku Pölönen
CAST:  Oona Airola  •  Konsta Laakso  •  Pyry Äikää  •  Mika Nuojua

Hamsters (2023)

A poor wild-life writer named Hamsteri, who is obsessed with natural disasters, lives in a wooden cottage in the countryside with his only friend, Minnie the mouse. In the village he is considered a bit odd and he is indeed special! When a lottery-winning family ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Markku Pölönen
CAST:  Peter Franzén  •  Vilma Kinnunen  •  Jaakko Ohtonen  •  Katariina Havukainen

A poor wild-life writer named Hamsteri, who is obsessed with natural disasters, lives in a wooden cottage in the countryside with his only friend, Minnie the mouse. In the village he is considered a bit odd and he is indeed special! When a lottery-winning family ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Markku Pölönen
CAST:  Peter Franzén  •  Vilma Kinnunen  •  Jaakko Ohtonen  •  Katariina Havukainen