How Distributors Used Dog Promos, Knitting Matinées and Missing People Posters to Promote Aki Kaurismäki’s ‘Fallen Leaves’ Around the World

As a seasoned film industry professional with years of experience under my belt, I find the marketing strategies for “Fallen Leaves” (or “Karaoke Blues” as it was titled in the Czech Republic) to be both inspiring and effective. The use of special events like the knitting cinema in Norway and the focus on engaging younger audiences through social media content is a smart move that many film distributors could learn from.


2023’s Cannes Jury Prize winner, “Fallen Leaves” by esteemed Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki, was one of the most successful Nordic films globally from 2020 to 2023. This film marked a notable return for the veteran auteur.

How did release strategies employed by art-house cinemas across varied territories such as Taiwan, Norway, and the Czech Republic help expand Aki Kaurismäki’s fan base and establish him as a trendy figure on social media platforms?

On August 22nd, I had a fascinating discussion at the Europa Distribution panel titled “Around the World in 80 Minutes: Global Distribution and Promotion of Nordic Cinema.” This event was organized by New Nordic Films, held right here in Haugesund, Norway.

Among the notable events at the three-day Nordic market, the Europa Distribution panel stood out. This panel was skillfully moderated by Petri Kemppinen, a veteran industry professional who is the founder of Good Hand Production, a consultant at Finland’s post-production house Totalpost, and a co-head of Baltic Event’s TV Beats.

Initially, Albert Yao, the chief acquisitions officer at Taiwan’s Swallow Wings, shared his plans for the domestic distribution of Kaurismäki’s Helsinki-based love story, “Fallen Leaves.” Yao admitted that he rarely purchases movies in advance, but the buzz surrounding “Fallen Leaves” at Berlin 2023 compelled him to initiate negotiations with sales company The Match Factory prior to the film’s official premiere in Cannes’ main competition. Yao, a frequent attendee of Haugesund, shared that he had heard tremendous praise for the movie even before its formal debut at the European Film Market in Berlin. In addition, another buyer informed him that they had extended a substantial offer for the film, backed by a bank loan!

In April 2023, I successfully finalized our agreement with The Match Factory. Excitingly, our Taiwanese debut was planned for May 1, 2024, in a grand scale across 19 venues spread across six cities. However, despite my aspirations to leverage an Oscar nomination, the film unfortunately did not receive this prestigious Hollywood accolade.

From May 1st to June 11th, the Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki had a record-breaking 3,700 viewings in Taiwan, surpassing previous records for his films in that region. However, attendance figures were slightly lower than initially anticipated.

During that period, the competition was particularly fierce, according to Yao. He pointed out that the first week of “Fallen Leaves” went up against three major hits: the Japanese animated film “Haikyu!! The Movie” (43,929 viewers), the South Korean action movie “The Roundup: Punishment” (25,883), and the Hollywood film “The Fall Guy” (23,002). Yao added that European arthouse movies tend to appeal to a niche audience, as local audiences typically prefer Hollywood, Japanese, or domestic films instead.

As a devoted cinema enthusiast, I’ve found myself captivated by Swallow Films’ ingenious approach to appealing to cinephiles, women, and audiences over 30. They skillfully combined traditional poster campaigns, press, and social media PR to generate buzz. To further pique our interest, they organized exclusive screenings and collaborated with travel agents to showcase the enchanting landscapes of Finland, as well as local book publishers. The film’s heartwarming romance, the adorable Chaplin the dog (often featured prominently on standees and promotional materials), and the catchy tunes from indie pop duo Maustetytöt were strategic selling points that have left me eagerly anticipating its release.

When inquired about alternative income sources for art house films, Yao remarked, “Television can be difficult, even for major Hollywood productions, and Video-On-Demand is tricky for European movies. Every movie is distinct, making it challenging to foresee the exact audience size for an art house film from Europe.” He emphasized this point.

The Nor-way

Representing Arthaus, one of Norway’s established arthouse cinema operators, Anne Marte Nygaard, their distribution manager, mentioned that they seldom purchase films in advance. However, as the distributor for the latest works by Kaurismäki, she chose to take a risk and buy the film sight unseen. To her relief, this decision proved successful.

The Norwegian premiere has been scheduled for Christmas Day, December 25, 2023, as an alternative programming option to the conventional Norwegian Christmas family films and World War II blockbusters. Following its successful world premiere at Cannes, the film will be screened at five national festivals before its domestic release, with the Norwegian Film Festival in Haugesund being the first stop in 2023. A series of pre-screening events are planned for November and December, and a Kaurismäki retrospective is scheduled for December.

As a film enthusiast who has spent countless hours watching and analyzing movies from various genres, I find “A romantic comedy from Helsinki” to be an exceptional choice for anyone looking for a light-hearted, easy-to-watch film. Having followed Aki Kaurismäki’s work for years, I can confidently say that this movie is a must-see for any fan of his unique storytelling style and quirky humor.

“Nygaard stated that they thought the movie had the ability to appeal to both mainstream and indie audiences, especially younger viewers who are keen on quality independent films like Wes Anderson’s. Additionally, he wagered on the film’s lasting power. Since our audience tends to take their time, the movie required some time to gain traction. Thus, it was deemed more significant to have a few quality screenings over an extended period rather than releasing it widely but briefly.”

In competition with Ken Loach’s “The Old Oak” and the Norwegian WW2 drama “The Arctic Convoy, the movie garnered 18,080 ticket sales from 80 locations, falling slightly behind titles like “Close” (27,013), “Aftersun” (21,982), and “Perfect Days” (20,014) at Cannes, but outperforming “Decision to Leave” (7,209), “How to Have Sex” (5,542), “Four Daughters” (4,944), and “Afire” (2,775). Nygaard attributed the success to the popularity of special-themed cinema screenings in Norway, such as the “knitting cinema” on Tuesdays, which she noted was ideal for this film.

In Taiwan, our marketing and public relations strategy combined traditional methods like paper ads and online campaigns with posters and flyers featuring consistent artwork and unique visuals for the Kaurismäki cinematheque event. The distributor’s team particularly enjoyed crafting social media videos because of the engaging dialogues they got to work with.

The merchandising involved creating homemade matchboxes that conveyed a warm and romantic feel for the movie, while cinemas aimed to create a comfortable, Nordic ambiance. Nygaard explained that it was straightforward, “Fallen Leaves”‘ leading actress Alma Pöysti participated in PR events supported by the Finnish Cultural Centre in Norway, which received positive reviews. This made it simple to collect numerous quotes for promotional posters.

Cool Czech

Simultaneously, the premiere of the film took place in the Czech Republic under the management of Aerofilms, the largest national arthouse operator and sixth biggest distributor, which owns six cinemas and releases approximately 26 films each year. Marketing manager Laura Čadek Plačková announced that the title was changed to “Karaoke Blues,” with the premiere scheduled for November 16, 2023. This decision was made after a festival debut in Karlovy Vary to generate buzz. A blend of art-house and mainstream multiplexes were reserved before the video on demand (VOD) launch on KVIFF.TV, which is planned for February 2024.

The taglines “A tragic romance unfolding in Helsinki’s streets” and “A nostalgic Kaurismäki masterpiece” were employed to entice the primary audience of die-hard Kaurismäki fans, cinephiles, enthusiasts of Nordic cinema, romance aficionados, and regular attendees of Aerofilms, as well as younger audiences with a diverse interest.

The marketing approach was built upon three main aspects: charm, wit, and the distinctive style of Aki Kaurismäki. The ‘Rediscovering Kaurismäki’ campaign had three primary perspectives – one aimed at reacquainting the master with a younger demographic, another leveraging Kaurismäki’s unique artistic elements to engage potential viewers, and finally, a comprehensive retrospective celebrating the Finnish director. This retrospective was scheduled a month before the premiere and featured screenings of five of his most renowned works.

In her assessment, Čadek Plačková emphasized that the canine character from the movie and Kaurismäki’s witty humor remained significant drawing points. To captivate a younger audience, Aerofilms created brief Instagram content to enhance the film’s vibrancy and forged alliances with Czech radio stations and social media influencers.

To collect engaging phrases, we utilized a combination of media reviews and feedback from the general public. Innovative marketing tactics, such as street posters advertising missing individuals, were spotted and shared by influencers, thereby amplifying the online excitement.

The movie garnered approximately 13,000 theater admissions across 427 screens, meeting the predicted range of 10,000 to 15,000 viewers. Additionally, it attracted an extra 1,500 online viewers on KVIFF.TV. Simultaneously, the online campaign had a reach of 900,000 and accumulated 200,000 video views. According to Čadek Plačková, the primary focus was not just the movie itself but also branding Aerofilms, whose objective is to provide top-tier films to Czech viewers while fostering their film education. The entire campaign aligned perfectly with Aerofilms’ mission.

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2024-08-23 20:17