Distracted by life, Mr. Makkonen misses his engagement party by decades. Life also keeps distracting a frazzled tour guide, an unraveling homebuyer and the rest of our heroes in this chaotic world. Distractions weaves comedy and fantasy into dark tales that both horrify and make you laugh.

Original title of the film: Häiriötekijä
English title: Distractions
Titles in other languages: Distractions (French-title)

Country of Origin: Finland
Year of production: 2015
Date of completion of production: 31.3.2015
Date and place of the first public performance in Finland: 11.09.2015
Date and place of international premiere: Pöff, Tallinn, 15.11.2015

Language of the film: Finnish
Subtitled in: English
Voice-over in:  -

Director’s biography / Director’s filmography:

Aleksi Salmenperä (b.1973, Finland) has directed four feature films: Producing Adults, 2004, (sales: Celluloid Dreams); A Man ́s job, 2007; Bad Family, 2010, (sales: Match Factory); and Distractions, 2015, now in post-production. He has won numerous prizes around the world, including the Fipresci Prize, Stockholm Film Festival 2004, Prix Europa for best drama TV-series 2006 (TV-series Pioneer) and Best European Feature, Munster 2007. His films have also been accepted to the official selection for Berlinale Panorama 2010 and the official selection of Toronto 2004. His short film Ferry-go-round was selected to Cannes Critics’ Week 2001 and he received the Cinefondation grant in 2001.

Awards:

A one-night stand between two strangers without a mutual language in a foreign country takes an unexpected turn when an ash cloud from a volcano prevents all flights from taking off.

Original title of the film: 2 NIGHTS TILL MORNING
English title: 2 NIGHTS TILL MORNING
Titles in other languages: 2 nuits avant le matin (French title)

Country of Origin: Finland and Lithuania
Year of production: 2015
Date of completion of production: 31.3.2015

Language of the film: English, French, Finnish
Subtitled in: English, (French)

Director’s biography  / Director’s filmography:

Mikko Kuparinen (b. 1979) has previously directed two feature-length films. Mobile Horror (YLE, 2010) was a Finnish TV film based on Juha Jokela’s highly popular play by the same title. Kuparinen’s first feature film was the romantic comedy Body Fat Index of Love, 2012. Three of his short films (Homevideo, Truth of Dare, Sirocco) have won main prizes at international film festivals; Sirocco won the H.C. Andersen Award, the Grand Prix at the Odense Film Festival in Denmark in 2013. Sirocco and Mikko were also chosen for the “10 Directors to Watch” DVD published by four Nordic film magazines. 2 Nights till Morning is Mikko Kuparinen’s first English-language work as a film director.

Festivals / Awards

Montreal World Film Festival 2015 - Official World Competition, Best Director Award 
Sao Paulo International Film Festival 2015 - New Directors Competition
Valladolid International Film Festival 2015 - Meeting Point Competition, Best Film Award