Leningrad Cowboys Go America

Leningrad Cowboys Go America

Somewhere in the tundra, in no-man’s land, lives the worst rock ’n’ roll band in the world, an outfit with no audience and absolutely no commercial potential. And so they decide to bury their national sentiments and go to the United States where people swallow any kind of shit. This film is the story of their journey over the ocean and through the continent, a story of seamy bars and honest folk in the backyards of the Hamburger Nation. Ugly actors, good feelings!
Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.

Direction: Aki Kaurismäki
Script: Aki Kaurismäki, with the collaboration of: Sakke Jarvenpaa, Mato Valtonen
Cinematography: Τimo Salminen
Editing: Raija Talvio
Sound: Jouko Lumme
Music: Mauri Sumen, Leningrad Cowboys
Actors: The Leningrad Cowboys, Nicky Tesco, Matti Pellonpaa, Kari Vaananen, Jim Jarmusch
Production: Villealfa Filmproductions Oy, Swedish Film Institute
Producers: Aki Kaurismäki, Klas Olofson, Katinka Faragó
Art Direction: Kari Laine, The Leningrad Cowboys, Heikki Ukkonen
Format: Digital File
Color: Color
Production Country: Finland, Sweden
Production Year: 1989
Duration: 78'
Contact: The Match Factory

Aki Kaurismäki

Kaurismaki began receiving international recognition in the late 1980s. His output has ranged from wacky, comic-book-style adventures (Calamari Union [1985], Leningrad Cowboys Go America [1989]) to revisionist adaptations of literary classics (Crime and Punishment [1983], Hamlet Goes Business [1987]), and he has proved himself adept at combining gritty, noir-ish realism with sly, sardonic humor (Ariel [1988]). Kaurismaki's minimalist style, prolific output, and taste for wry melodrama have invited comparisons with filmmakers such as R.W. Fassbinder and Jim Jarmusch.

Filmography

1981 The Saimaa Gesture (doc)
1985 Calamari Union
1987 Hamlet Goes Business
1989 Leningrad Cowboys Go America
1992 The Bohemian Life
1999 Juha
2006 Lights in the Dusk
2011 Le Havre
2017 The Other Side of Hope
2023 Fallen Leaves