Land of Hope, directed by Markku Pölönen, has reached the 200 000 spectator landmark. A special screening was held in Joensuu last night and the exact figure is now 200 625. The film was premiered on October 26th, 2018.

Director Markku Pölönen is glad and grateful about the success: “This makes me proud! In my wild youth I scored a hat-trick of a kind; three of my consecutive movies broke the magical 200 000 spectator milestone. The audiences were different then; maybe the movies as well. These days reaching that figure is a great achievement for a drama film – and that’s a fact. Land of Hope did that, even with an original screenplay.”

Pölönen is grateful to the audiences: “The thanks belong to the spectarors, needless to say. Even in competition with the American blockbusters, Land of Hope held its head high above water and was among the top ten watched movies of the year. So, here’s to you, dear spectators!”

Land of Hope was recently screened in Minnesota, USA, at the St. Paul International Film Festival. Director Markku Pölönen and producer Rimbo Salomaa attended the screening. Says Salomaa: “The reception was fantastic. All the screenings here in Minneapolis were sold out and people have been left outside the theaters. The time slots at the interviews were not enough; the conversations have gone on outside the official reception hours. And the audiences have included a lot of people with Finnish and Scandinavian backgrounds.”

Land of Hope was recently rewarded with two Finnish Film Awards. Oona Airola won the Jussi statue for the best actress in a leading role and Antti Nikkinen for the best production design. Markku Pölönen won the Anjalankoski Film Prize, which was awarded this year for the 35th time. This was Pölönen’s third Anjalankoski Prize.

Land of Hope was screened at the prestigious Santa Barbara International Film Festival in February. The lead actors Konsta Laakso and Oona Airola attended the ceremony. The movie was also screened at the Nordic Lights festival in Seattle, Washington, in March and in Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in November.

The film has recently been released digitally, in both DVD and Blu-Ray formats.

Land of Hope is based on the original idea by Markku Pölönen, who has also written the screenplay with Antti Heikkinen. Paula Vesala has served as a dramaturg. The Solar Films movie is produced by Rimbo Salomaa, Markus Selin and Jukka Helle. The lead roles are played by Oona Airola and Konsta Laakso. The ensemble supporting cast features Marjaana Maijala, Hannu-Pekka Björkman, Antti Virmavirta, Mika Nuojua, Sanna-Kaisa Palo, Marja Packalén, Helmi Linnosmaa, Arto Heikkilä and Henri Tuominen, among others.