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GIFFONI FILM FESTIVAL 2003 - 19.26 July

Sections & Films

ONE-WAY TICKET TO MOMBASA

Category: Edition 2003

Synopsis

Pete, a skilful 17-year old amateur guitarist in a school band, loses his consciousness in the middle of the band's gig. The diagnosis is tough: the doctor cannot say for sure whether Pete will live to see his 18th birthday. On the hospital ward Pete meets his new room mate Jusa, a master of black humour who grew up in a borstal. One night, encouraged by Jusa's 18th birthday vodka, the boys decide to take night leave. Jusa has a fixation, connected to a song with the same name, to see the hot beaches of Mombasa before he might die. Pete instead wants to go and confess his love to Kata - his dream girl from school. The guys bungle their way through Finland towards Kata's summer job in Lapland with two tickets to Mombasa in Jusa's pocket. Jusa with his freedom-attitude leads them from one trouble to another. In Jusa's company Pete tastes the kind of life that he never experienced in his safe middle-class home - and how much fun there is around.

Original Title MENOLIPPU MOMBASAAN
Italian Title SOGNANDO MOMBASA
Category Official Competition
Section Y Gen
Tipology Feature Film
Duration 88'
Production Year 2002
Nationality Finland
Directed by Hannu Tuomainen
Screenplay Hannu Tuomainen, Atro Lahtela
Script Hannu Tuomainen, Atro Lahtela
Director of photography Pekka Uotila
Editor Jukka Nykänen
Production Design Christer Andersson
Costume Design Elina Lario
Sound Pierre André
Music Samuli Putro, Martti Salminen
Main cast Antti Tarvainen (Pete)
Joonas Saartamo (Jusa)
Johanna Rönnlöf (Kata)
Timo Päiväsalo (padre/father)
Liisa Halonen (madre/mother)
Anu Hämäläinen (Rosebud)
Produced by Hannu Tuomainen
Access

one-way ticket to mombasa regHannu Tuomainen

Director, producer and co-script writer Hannu Tuomainen (born in 1960) has studied at the Helsinki's University of Art and Design in the Department of film and TV, in 1991 majoring in directing and script writing. In addition to that he has studied production in the international school of production, in EAVE. Hannu has directed a half of a dozen short films. He has worked as a director at YLE (Finnish Broadcasting Company) in children's programming and entertainment programming. ONE WAY TICKET TO MOMBASA is Hannu's first feature film.

 

Director’s statement

“In the early spring of 1994, I took my son to school one morning after returning from a tiring business trip the previous night. As I drove back home, I fell asleep and was thrown into a ditch. Physically I didn’t get hurt, however mentally I was in a state of shock. I could have died there and then. That incident kick-started an enormous process: if I could die anytime what am I doing with my life? […] I got over the shock but the questions still remained. I noticed that I was pondering the same fundamental questions that I had come across when I was on the verge of adulthood and facing independence. What is life all about? What is true? What am I responsible for and to whom? What is love? What about friendship? Who am I and what do I want? […] While I was wondering about the meaning of life after the accident I experienced déjà vu; this is what the growing up was all about: to acknowledge mortality, life, yourself and most of all - other people. That’s when the basic pieces of “One-way Ticket to Mombasa” came together”.

Production
Cinemaker Oy
Vironkatu 11, FIN-00170 Helsinki - Finland
phone +358 400475285
fax +358 27482360
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www.menolippumombasaan.com

 

World sales
NonStop Sales Ab
Döbelnsgatan 24, SE-113 52 Stockholm - Sweden
phone +46 86739981
fax +46 86739988
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www.nonstopsales.net

 

Festival contact
The Finnish Film Foundation
Kanavakatu 12, FIN-00160 Helsinki - Finland
phone +358 96220300
fax +358 962203060
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www.ses.fi