Movies | “Does anyone know how to spend money the right way?” This is how the campaign for the Oscar nomination of Koolleite lehti was carried out

Rarely – if ever – there has been a similar international buzz around Finnish cinema as in recent months Aki Kaurismäki Dead leaves around.

Critics of many foreign media listed the film among the best of the year. Many of them also firmly believed that it would be one of those chosen to compete for the Best Foreign Language Oscar.

On January 23, the news came: no Oscar nomination.

“Now it feels like adversity, but at the time it felt like a big disappointment”, the film's second producer Misha Jaari says after having time to digest the news.

Still, one cannot help but wonder why the road was broken with chalk lines. According to Jaari, the correct answer is as follows: “The membership decided so, and there is nothing to say against it.”

“There are all kinds of speculations, but we haven't done a very deep analysis. It feels like it's pointless, because even in the opposite case, we wouldn't know for sure what would have gone right.”

It is still certain that no film can be nominated for an Oscar without a successful marketing campaign.

The easiest explanation is usually the same: there wasn't enough money after all. Was that what it was all about?

“So many things come together here,” Jaari begins.

“Like the Golden Globes, the Oscars have also been reformed, and there are now more foreign members involved. It can be seen in the structures of the candidate lists,” says Jaari.

Even ten years ago, it would have been exceptional for a foreign film to have received more than one or two nominations at the Oscars. Now, for example The Zone of Interest received three nominations.

“Since the structure has changed, the first thing that comes to mind is, Does anyone know how to spend money in the right way?” Jaari says.

“Fact is that there aren't any bad movies in there. You may not like them, but they are not bad,” says Jaari.

In addition, the film must resonate with the audience.

According to Jaari Dead leaves clearly fulfills both requirements.

“You can honestly say that Dead leaves -film's cost of the entire campaign to conquer the American continent was reasonable, some might even
say low, but a reasonable size,” he formulates.

Alma Pöystin According to Jaari, the Golden Globe nomination was also an indication that “even with a small amount you could go really far”.

“Even in many guesses, we were almost a sure candidate. After all, that's a huge achievement too.”

About Oscar campaigning Jaari already had experience before Dead leavesbecause Jaarin and by Mark Lwoff A film produced or partially produced by the production company Bufo has been nominated for an Oscar for a country three times before: Pirjo Honkasalo Concrete night (2014), by Khadar Ahmed Guled and Nasra (Somalia Candidate, 2022), Tarik Saleh Cairo Conspiracy (Sweden, 2022).

What kind of mechanism starts when Finland's Oscar candidate is chosen? How do you go about marketing the film?

The first thing we will think about is how big the film can be campaigned, says Jaari.

“My gut feeling is that you shouldn't even start doing the first part of the campaign with less than $100,000. That's the basic premise.”

Next, let's think about which tip to start moving the film forward. You have to make choices: is it the description, the actors, the director or perhaps the subject?

When Pirjo Honkasalo Concrete night was Finland's candidate ten years ago, when cinematography and visuals came first in marketing the film. Cameraman Peter Flinckenberg received the Cinematographers Guild Award that year.

Dead leaves According to Jaari, “an excellent and positive Kaurismäki film and great actors” was chosen as the top spot.

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“You can't see the level of professionalism and volume with which marketing work can be done in the United States from here in Europe.”

Is necessary to go on location to Hollywood, in general to the United States, meet people and organize a lot of shows. If the resources are sufficient, in addition to PR activities, many also invest in, for example, outdoor advertising.

“But it's hard to compete with that, because the local resources there for their own films are so staggering. But every possible Tip must be checked.”

For dead leaves dozens of viewings were held around the United States.

“They were mainly organized in big cities where there are also members of the Academy. For some others, the tactic is to organize presentations more strongly for influencers.”

Jaari says that most of the marketing has been handled by the film's main stars Alma Pöysti and Jussi Vatanen.

Alma Pöyst's agent Laura Munsterhjelm says that the actor spent a total of about six weeks in the United States last fall, both in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as in a few smaller towns in connection with festivals.

Pöyst's personal Golden Globe nomination also made the film famous.

“Alma is the best at marketing the film. He is smart, funny, fluent in languages ​​and in a nice way happy and surprised by all the attention. It's fresh,” says Munsterhjelm.

Alma Pöysti at the Golden Globe gala, where she was nominated for best actress. Picture: Amy Sussman/AFP

Munsterhjelm adds that Aki Kaurismäki is a well-known and respected filmmaker in the world, whose films arouse interest by their mere existence. of HS interviewed by a critic from Los Angeles however, considered it a disadvantage that Kaurismäki himself did not market his film in the United States.

According to Munsterhjelm, many distributors and studios have huge budgets for publicizing and marketing their nominated films.

“In Los Angeles and New York, there are screenings for films every night [näytöksiä] and dinners. The level of professionalism and volume with which it is possible to do marketing work in the United States cannot be seen from here in Europe,” says Munsterhjelm.

Helsinki news the story said that during Oscar season, film distributors send to critics and Various gifts for Academy members.

Dead leaves -film's marketing team made postcards painted of Kaurismäki's dogs. According to Jaari, the idea of ​​dog cards was reportedly invented by the film's American distributor, Mubi.

Jaari also says that he just got it Dead leaves a t-shirt commissioned by a German distributor with Aki Kaurismäki's quote printed on it: “When all hope is gone, there is no reason for pessimism.”

“Aki is giving, the world has a very clear image of him.”

The German distributor is marketing the Dead Leaves movie with a quote from Kaurismäki.

Jaarin according to Kaurismäki's film has big and serious distributors and agents who want global publicity for the film because they sell all over the world.

“They invest as much as the film's sales potential and profit margin target allow.”

Jaari tells about the situation he heard: The same entity represented two Oscar candidates. When the director of the other went to the marketing screening of his competitor's film, he got to watch with envy how the champagne corks were popped and the crowd was huge compared to his own screening.

“Professionals can see if a film really has the potential to go far.”

Finland the film foundation's role in the “Oscar operation” is mainly to provide financial support. The size of the support is usually between 40,000 and 50,000 euros.

“All the costs have gone up all the time, but our sums of money have not”, the foundation's cultural export planner Jenni Domingo says.

In 2022, the Film Foundation granted project support Girls girls girls 50,000 euros and 2020 for the film's Oscar campaign For Tove 45,000 euros. In 2021 Guled & Nasra (The Gravedigger's Wife) received 25,000 euros. The Film Foundation wanted to support a Finnish film shot in Somalia, which was selected as Somalia's Oscar nominee.

Dead leaves According to Domingo, support for Oscar campaigning has not yet been applied for the film, but it can also be done afterwards.

Dead leaves has received from the Film Foundation last year, among other things, 95,000 euros in marketing and distribution support for domestic marketing, and 40,000 euros in cultural export project support for cinema distribution in the United States, among other things.

From Jaar no need to wonder how much Dead leaves money has been spent on marketing in the US as a whole. It is also difficult to know how much has been invested in the films that have gained the most exposure.

“With the highest probability, there have been films that have been campaigned in the foreign language category with ten times the budget compared to us,” says Jaari.