Pepe Willberg has travelled a winding road to this day, to the hearts of Finns and unlikely stardom. What has it all been like for a man who, in the beginning, sang only on condition that the lights in the hall were turned off? Written and directed by Severi Koivusalo, PEPE is a musical documentary about a talented musician with a unique voice, who struggles to balance his popularity with his passion for music, whose iconic songs have been playing in the background of Finnish life through seven different decades.
Wanting to know the ways of people, a pelican turns into a gawky young man who soon learns to speak, thanks to his outstanding talent in imitation. He befriends Emil and Elsa, two children who--unlike adults--see that their new neighbor "Mr Berd" is not human but a big bird wearing a suit. The Pelican Man lands a job at the opera and falls in love with a pretty ballerina, looking so much like a bird herself. Troubles start when adults too find out about "Mr Berd's" ornithological origin.
After EverythingThe film shows a dystopian world where brutality and inhumanity are commonplace and part of everyday routine. The atmosphere of doom is emphasized by the combination of black and white footage, harsh settings and industrial noise music. The powerful story leads to a situation in which brutality is victorious, yet beyond total destruction there is also room for a new beginning.
A fictitious biography of Aira Samulin, the goddess of dance and importer of all the international dance crazes to Finland for some fifty years. The life story of this extravagant ever-teen, well beyond the usual retirement age, is told inside a fictitious plot about a Master of Ceremonies trying to persuade Aira to stage a show at his cabaret restaurant. Besides Aira Samulin, many other Finnish celebrities appear among the eccentric lineup auditioning for the show, playing more or less their fictionalised selves.
Tanssii tähtien kanssa is a Finnish version of the British BBC television series Strictly Come Dancing. The show has run on MTV3 since March 3, 2006, on Sunday evenings. The sixteenth season will be aired in the fall of 2023.
The show was originally hosted by Marco Bjurström and Ella Kanninen. Ella Kanninen left the show after the second season and was replaced by model and Season 2 contestant Vanessa Kurri. In 2009, Kurri was replaced by Vappu Pimiä after only one season. Marco Bjurstöm left the series after Season 4 and Mikko Leppilampi took over as host. Ella Kanninen returned to host the seventh season due to Pimiä's maternity leave; Pimiä will return to host the eight season with Leppilampi. From 2022 Pimiä was joined by Ernest Lawson.
The series' title is a pun on the title of the film Dances with Wolves, Tanssii susien kanssa.
