Mika Kaurismäki

Mika Kaurismäki was born in Orimattila in Finland on 21.9.1955. He studied at the Munich College of Television and Film from 1977-81 and made a name for himself with ironic gangster films such as ROSSO (1985) and HELSINKI NAPOLI (1987). He co-founded the Midnight Sun Film Festival in Sodankylä, Sápmi in 1986 and moved to Brazil in 1992. Since making his punk documentary, SAIMAA-ILMIÖ (1981) his films have often portrayed Afro-American musicians like Billy Cobham of the band SONIC MIRROR and Miriam Makeba, the famous south-african singer in MAMA AFRICA screened in the Panorama section of the 2011 Berlinale. (Source : Berlin Film Festival)