Matti – HELL is for HEROES

Motto: Life is the best time for a man!

The famous ski-jumper Matti Nykänen won everything possible during his career – and more.

Four Olympic gold medals, seven World Championship titles, four World Cup tour championships and forty six World Cup circuit victories. Once his career as a professional athlete ended, however, the other side of his personality emerged into public view in all of its vulgarity. An alcohol dependency, several marriages accompanied by numerous marital problems, petty crime, uncontrolled acts of violence, greedy hangers-on… Wherever he roams, drama and catastrophe dog his footsteps. And everything is exposed in the headlines the next day…

Matti is a true based drama feature of a man who loves ski-jumping so much that he rises to the top of his game and becomes the best in the world. But although he can fly like an eagle, his life is littered with crash-landings. He stumbles, falls, and miraculously gets back to his feet – ready to tackle yet another doomed and foolhardy stunt jump.

The movie cruises back and forth in time from the mid-eighties to present day. At the peak of his career the ski-jumper is transformed into an entertainment artist and the publicity spotlight illuminates the underside of his public role more and more frequently.

The Matti of the movie provides a commentary on his own life but the format does not offer him the benefit of hindsight – so spectators can form their own opinions about Matti’s trajectory over time.

His road from worshipped athlete and national hero to tabloid laughing stock is basically a tragic story. But not even Matti Nykänen himself can – or will – deny the comic aspects of his unfortunate mishaps.

“I have often hoped that I would be a normal John Doe – and people would treat me as one. But I guess that I set my goals above average in my athletic life. And I guess I will have to see that role to the end.” (Matti Nykänen)

PREMIERE
13.1.2006

DIRECTOR
Aleksi Mäkelä

PRODUCER
Markus Selin

EXECUTIVE-PRODUCER
Jukka Helle

PRODUCTION MANAGER
Sirkka Rautiainen

SCREENWRITER
Marko Leino

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Pini Hellstedt

PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Jussi Halonen ja Petri Neuvonen

COSTUME DESIGNER
Tiina Kaukanen

MAKE-UP SUPERVISOR
Mari Vaalasranta

SOUND DESIGNERS
Jyrki Rahkonen

COMPOSER
Tuomas Kantelinen

FILM EDITOR
Kimmo Taavila

MARKETING PRODUCER
Jussi Lepistö

UNIT PUBLICIST
Rampe Toivonen

PRODUCTION
Solar Films Inc.

DISTRIBUTED BY
Buena Vista International Finland

35 mm / colour / 2.35:1 / Dolby Digital / 130 min