Letters to Father Jacob
(Postia pappi Jaakobille)

Script:

Klaus Härö
alkuperäiskäsikirjoitus / original script: Jaana Makkonen

Director:

Klaus Härö

Cinematography:

Tuomo Hutri

Set design:

Kaisa Mäkinen

Sound:

Kirka Sainio

Editing :

Samu Heikkilä

Production:

Risto Salomaa, Lasse Saarinen

Shooting:

08-09/2008

Budget:

525 402 € (SES 175 000 €)

Release:

3.4.2009

Actors:

Kaarina Hazard, Heikki Nousiainen

Synopsis:

Letters to Father Jacob is a warm-hearted and touching story of Leila, a life sentence prisoner who has just been pardoned. When she is released from prison, she is offered a job at a secluded parsonage; she moves there against her will. Leila is used to taking care only of herself, so she experiences conflicting feelings when she starts working as the personal assistant for Jacob, the blind pastor living in the parsonage.

Every day the mail man brings letters from people asking for help from pastor Jacob. Answering the letters is Jacob´s life mission, while Leila thinks it´s useless.

Leila has already decided to leave the parsonage when the letters suddenly stop coming. Jacob´s life is shaken to its foundation. Two completely different lives are intertwined unexpectedly, and the roles of the helper and the one being helped are turned upside down.

International Sales: FilmSharks

Festivals:

Göteborg International Film Festival, Sweden, 23.1.–2.2.2009

Cannes Marché du Film, France, 13.–24.5.2009

Vancouver International Film Festival, Canada, 1.–16.10.2009

Screening at Finnish-Norwegian Culture Institute, Oslo, Norway, 18.9.2009

Pusan International Film Festival, South Korea, 8.–16.10.2009

Roma Film Festival Market, Italy, 15.–19.10.2009

TIFF Reel Talk film series, Toronto, Canada, 18.10.2009

Nordic Film Days, Lübeck, Germany, 4.–8.11.2009

58th International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg, Germany, 5.–15.11.2009

Scanorama 2009, Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipeda, Lithuania, 5.–22.11.2009

24º Mar del Plata IFF, Argentina, 7.–15.11.2009

33rd Cairo International Film Festival, Egypt, 10.–20.11.2009

40th Film Festival of India "Cinema of the World", Goa, India, 23.11.–3.12.2009

Salute to Klaus Härö at Cinema Society of San Diego, CA, USA, 24.11.2009

Finnish Film Week, St. Petersburg, Russia, 27.11.-2.12.2009

Black Nights Film Festival, Tallinn, Estonia, 27.11.-6.12.2009

Plus Camerimage, Poland, 28.11.-5.12.2009

Petroskoi Finnish Film Week, Russia, 6.12.-10.12.2009

Finnish Film Week in Warsaw, Poland, 10.–16.12.2009

Chennai Int. Film Festival, India, 16.–24.12.2009

Screenings of Nordic Oscar contenders, Scandinavia House New York,USA, 5.–14.1.2010

Palm Springs International Film Festival, CA, USA, 5.–18.1.2010

Finnish Film Week in Moscow, Russia, 5.–20.1.2010

11th Annual Scandinavian Film Festival L.A., Los Angeles, USA, 9.–18.1.2010

36th Internationales Filmwochenende Würzburg, 27.–31.1.2010

The Smith Rafael Film Center, "For Your Consideration” series, USA, 29.1.–2.2.2010

33rd Göteborg International Film Festival, Sweden, 29.1.–8.2.2010

28th Fajr International Film Festival, Iran, 1.–11.2.2010

Santa Barbara International Film Festival, USA, 4.–14.2.2010

European Film Market, Berlin, Germany, 11.-19.2.2010

Portland IFF 33, USA, 12.–27.2.2010

International Film Festival CINEMA MUNDI, Brno, Czech Republic, 24.2.–3.3.2010

Finnish Film Week in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Israel, 10.–20.3.2010

Festival du Cinéma Nordique, Rouen, France, 10.–21.3.2010

21st Ankara International Film Festival, Turkey, 11.–21.3.2010

Festival International du film de Fribourg, Switzerland, 13.–20.3.2010

Cape Winelands Film Festival, South Africa, 17.–27.3.2010

Hong Kong International Film Festival, 21.3.–11.4.2010

International Film Festival Breda, The Netherlands, 24.–28.3.2010

Finnish Film Week in Paris, France, 8.–11.4.2010

Washington DC International Film Festival, USA, 15.–25.4.2010

RiverRun International Film Festival, NC, USA, 15.–25.4.2010

28th Minneapolis-St Paul International Film Festival, USA, 15.–30.4.2010

Finnish Film Week, Belgrade, Serbia, 22.–28.4.2010

Seattle International Film Festival, USA, 20.5.–13.6.2010

Transilvania International Film Festival, Romania, 28.5.–5.6.2010

Festival de Cine de Huesca, Spain, 4.–12.6.2010

Festroia, Protugal, 4.–13.6.2010

Fiuggi Family Festival, Italy, 24.–31.7.2010

Cine Nordico, Mexico, 9.–19.9.2010

Awards & Prizes:

Nordic Film Days, Lübeck, Germany, 4.–8.11.2009
Interfilm Church Prize
Audience Award

58th International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg, Germany, 5.–15.11.2009
Main Award

33rd Cairo International Film Festival, Egypt, 10.–20.11.2009
The Golden Pyramid for the Best Film
The Prize for the Best Screenwriter (Klaus Härö)

Black Nights Film Festival, Tallinn, Estonia, 27.11.-6.12.2009
Jury Prize for the Best Director

28th Fajr International Film Festival, Iran, 1.–11.2.2010
Crystal Simorgh Prize for the Best Film in the Competition of Quest for Truth & Justice

33rd Göteborg International Film Festival, Sweden, 29.1.–8.2.2010
Nordic Film Music Prize (composer Dan Strömbäck)

Santa Barbara International Film Festival, USA, 4.–14.2.2010
The Best International Film Award

Festival du Cinéma Nordique, Rouen, France, 10.–21.3.2010
Best Actress Award (Kaarina Hazard)
Best Actor Award (Heikki Nousiainen)
Audience Award

Cape Winelands Film Festival, South Africa, 17.–27.3.2010
Special Mention Award (actor Heikki Nousiainen)

Hong Kong International Film Festival, 21.3.–11.4.2010
SIGNIS Commendation

RiverRun International Film Festival, NC, USA, 15.–25.4.2010
BB&T Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature

Festroia, Portugal, 4.–13.6.2010
Prize Man and His Environment

Festival de Cine de Huesca, Spain, 4.–12.6.2010
Audience Award

Production

Kinotar Oy
Työpajankatu 10 A
00580 Helsinki
Tel. +358 9 774 0040
Fax. +358 9 774 00444
Email. kinotar@kinotar.com
Internet  www.kinotar.com

Distribution in Finland

Nordisk Film Oy
John Stenbergin ranta 2
00530 Helsinki
Tel. +358 9 476 4460
Fax. +358 9 476 44640
Internet  www.nordiskfilm.fi

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