The Woodcutter Story

Metsurin Tarina

63rd TIFF: Greek Premiere

Pepe is a kind, loveable woodcutter living in an idyllic small town in Finland. In the span of a couple of days, a series of tragic events gradually destroys his quiet and happy life – but Pepe seems to be fine with it all. As if he held a secret to existence that is hard to grasp... A battle between hope and despair is unleashed and Pepe’s optimism and goodwill are put to an ultimate test. An unpredictable oddity that tackles familiar tropes, themes, and modes of Nordic cinema, only to deliver a deeply melancholic, but utterly satisfying piece of muted, comic surrealism. A film which, in the words of the filmmaker, raises an important question: “What is hope in our world full of destruction and cynical approaches?” This can only be answered by a kind of cinema that is “metaphorical, open and profoundly layered in meaning.”

Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.

Direction: Mikko Myllylahti

Script: Mikko Myllylahti

Cinematography: Arsen Sarkisiants

Editing: Jussi Rautaniemi

Sound: Jorma Kaulanen, Peter Albrectsen

Music: Jonas Struck

Actors: Jarkko Lahti, HP Björkman, Iivo Tuuri, Marc Gassot, Katja Küttner, Ulla Tapaninen

Production: Aamu Film Company, Keplerfilm, Beofilm, Achtung Panda!

Producers: Emilia Haukka, Jussi Rantamäki

Costumes: Minke Lunter

Production Design: Milja Aho

Make Up: Lindelotte van der Meer

Format: DCP

Color: Color

Production Country: Finland, The Netherlands, Denmark, Germany

Production Year: 2022

Duration: 99'

Contact: Totem Films

Awards/Distinctions: Gan Foundation Award for Distribution – Cannes Film Festival 2022

Mikko Myllylahti

Mikko Myllylahti was born and raised in Northern Finland, in a small town called Tornio. He has a background in poetry yet graduated with a MA in Screenwriting and Fiction Directing from ELO Helsinki Film School. He has written four collections of poetry that have been published in Finland and have won prizes and gained critical acclaim. His short films include The Tiger (Cannes Critics’ Week 2018) and Love in Vain (Locarno 2009). His first feature script was Juho Kuosmanen’s debut The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki, which won the Prix un Certain Regard in Cannes 2016. His feature film directorial debut The Woodcutter Story has been selected to L’Atelier Cannes 2019 and labs such as Next Step 2018 (Next Step Award 2018), Torino FeatureLab 2018 (TFL Production Award 2018), Toronto Filmmaker Lab 2018, Jerusalem Film Lab 2016 and Berlinale Script Station 2015.