Aki Kaurismäki

Young, inventive director who began receiving international recognition in the late 1980s. Kaurismaki's 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.

With his brother Mika ("Rosso" 1985, "Helsinki Napoli All Night Long" 1988), and other directors including Pekka Parikka ("Plainlands" 1988, "The Winter War" 1989), Kaurismaki is at the forefront of a burgeoning new wave of Finnish cinema.