Friday, July 21 | 5:30 pm
Saturday, July 22 | 5:30 pm
Sunday, July 23 | 2 pm
A critical and audience favorite on the international festival circuit, The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki earned the Un Certain Regard award at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. Partially set in his idyllic hometown of Kokkola, Juho Kuosmanen’s remarkable debut feature tells the true story of renowned Finnish boxer and local hero Olli Mäki, whose quiet life is transformed when he qualifies to compete for the 1962 World Featherweight title in Helsinki. Swept into spotlight, mild-mannered Mäki tries to balance the demands of training and celebrity, but his blossoming love for hometown beauty Raija proves a constant distraction. Beautifully shot on shimmering 16mm, the film effortlessly captures the differing rhythms of rural and urban life in 1960s Finland. An irresistible amalgam of underdog boxing picture and sweet, low-key romance that the Guardian calls “a treat and a delight,” The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki is “a film of immense humanity and charm: the very best kind of date movie.”
Director Juho Kuosmanen | 2016 | In Finnish with English subtitles | 92 minutes | NR | DCP
