Everything is set for Olli Mäki to become the first ever Finn to be the world champion in featherweight boxing. His manager Elis Ask – a former boxer himself – has prepared everything for them to reach fame and fortune. All Olli has to do is lose weight and concentrate. But he has a problem – he has fallen in love with Raija.

Direction: Juho Kuosmanen

Script: Mikko Myllylahti, Juho Kuosmanen

Production: Jussi Rantamäki, Jussi Rantamäki

Cinematography: J-P Passi

Editing: Jussi Rautaniemi

Production Design: Kari Kankaanpää

Costume Design: Sari Suominen

Make-Up: Salla Yli-Luopa

Sound: Pietu Korhonen

Original Score: Miika Snåre, Laura Airola

Cast: Jarkko Lahti, Oona Airola, Eero Milonoff

Original Title: HYMYILEVÄ MIES

Original Languages: English, Finnish

Film Production Countries: Finland, Germany, Sweden

Website: www.hymyilevamies.fi

Social Media: www.facebook.com/hymyilevamies/?fref=ts

Statement of the Director/s
The basic mood in THE HAPPIEST DAY IN THE LIFE OF OLLI MÄKI is light. Although it’s a story about an existential crisis and finding oneself, it is crucial to the narrative that we don’t wallow in the mud but instead, fly like a kite. The prosperity of my graduation film, THE PAINTING SELLERS, put me in a rather distressing situation. After it had won the 1st prize in the Cinéfondation selection of the Cannes FF and I was promised, as part of the prize, that my first feature film would have its international premiere in Cannes’ official selection, I was regarded as a “promising young director” in Finland. I remember sitting at my writing desk, mumbling and thinking about what exactly I had promised and whom. Of course, I also found it very flattering, but as the time went by, I started to feel more anxious about the fact that there were people out there, people I did not even know, expecting me to do things that I was not prepared to do. I had burdened myself with the idea of meeting expectations, which I started to feel under my skin. I was able to reason that the burden of keeping the customers satisfied was merely in my own head, but still, the truth was that my creativity and capacity to get excited about filmmaking had hit bottom.

The idea for THE HAPPIEST DAY IN THE LIFE OF OLLI MÄKI came along as a solace to this distressing situation. The film is inspired by a true story, and Olli Mäki is still a well-known Finnish boxer today. At the very beginning of his professional career, Olli got the chance to fight against the ruling featherweight world champion at the time, the American Davey Moore. And then, in front of a packed stadium, he lost the match humiliatingly in the second round.

Later on Olli Mäki would say it was the best day of his life.

Biography of the Director/s
Born in 1979, Juho Kuosmanen is a Helsinki-based filmmaker. His previous short films have won several prizes at acclaimed festivals including Cannes’ Cinéfondation and Locarno. He graduated from the ELO Helsinki Film School of Aalto University in 2014. Along with his studies, Kuosmanen has also acted and directed stage theatre and worked closely with the avant-garde opera ensemble West Coast Kokkola Opera.

Filmography of the Director/s
2010 - THE PAINTING SELLERS, short
2008 - CITIZENS, short
2007 - ROADMARKERS, short

Awards Won
Cannes IFF: Prix Un Certain Regard

World Sales:
Les Films du Losange
Berenice Vincent
22, avenue Pierre Ier de Serbie
Paris, 75116 , France
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +33 1 44 43 87 10
Website: http://www.filmsdulosange.fr/en/

Press:
Aamu Film Company
Jussi Rantamäki
Hiihtomäentie 34
Helsinki, 00800, Finland
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +358407355977
Website: http://www.aamufilmcompany.fi/en/