Programme 2009

Niko - Lentäjän poika

Finland/Denmark/Germany/Ireland, 2008, 35mm, colour, 80'
Dubbed in Slovene language; suitable for children.
Directed by: Kari Juusonen, Michael Hegner
Screenplay: Hannu Tuomainen, Marteinn Thorisson
Editing: Per Risanger
Music: Stephen Mckeon
Cast: Olli Jantunen, Hannu-Pekka Björkman, Vuokko Hovatta, Vesa Vierikko
Production: Animaker Oy, Anima Vitae Oy, Cinemaker Oy
Co-Production: Ulysses GmbH, A. Film, Magma Film
Distribution in Slovenia: Karantanija Cinema

An adventure animation for the whole family, Niko & The Way to the Stars, is about a reindeer boy called Niko who believes his father is one the world famous heroes of Santa's Flying Forces. He has never met his father but his greatest wish is to learn to fly like him. He sneaks out to do his own flight rehearsals beyond the safety of the home valley. But the notorious Black Wolf pack notice Niko and he accidentally leads them to his herd. Following the wolves' attack, Niko heads off on a desperate, dangerous mission through icy blizzards and across wild terrain to find his father and save Christmas. On his heroic journey he is accompanied by his constant friend and surrogate father, the clumsy flying squirrel called Julius and a sassy young singing weasel called Wilma. But soon the brave trio realizes they are not aloe on this journey …

Kari Juusonen (1967) is an animation director who started with stop-motion and has more recently worked with computer animation also. His short films have been seen at 120 festivals and have received numerous awards, including Prix de Jury in Cannes 2001. After a three years' work his first animated feature, Niko & the Way to the Stars, had its premiere in December 2008. Niko was a co-direction with Michael Hegner from A.Film, Denmark. The film was sold to more than 100 countries and has so far attracted 1,5 million viewers. In 2009 Niko will premiere in Germany, Spain, Italy, Slovenia and several other countries. The film is also one of the three European Film Academy nominees for Best European Animated Feature 2009. At the moment Kari is making another short film in his garage, and starting with a new animated feature in March 2010.

Michael Hegner (born in 1964 in Denmark) began his animation career as assistant animator on the TV series Quark (1987-88). He then went on to make commercials for Lego, Fazer, Carlsberg, Coca Cola and Tuborg. He was the director of the TV spot Organ Donation, which won the Grand Global Award in the category Best Healthcare Communications Worldwide. His first feature animation Help! I'm a Fish (Hjælp! Jeg er en fisk, 2000) was co-directed with Stefan Fjeldmark. It was a domestic box office and festival hit, and winner at Chicago.  His next feature-length animation The Ugly Duckling and Me was released in 2006.

Selected Festivals and Awards: Cinekid Amsterdam 2008 (Cinekid Lion Jury Award and Audience Award), Oulu International Children´s Film Festival 2008
(Jury Special Mention), Cinemagic Northern Ireland 2008, Hong Kong IFF 2009, Stuttgart ITFS 2009, Giffoni Film Festival 2009, KidsFest Jakarta 2009, Dar es Salaam European Film Festival 2009, Gdynia Film Festival 2009

www.nikomovie.com