The Jussi Gala for 2009

The Jussi Gala took place at the Merikaapelihalli of the Kaapelitehdas on 31 Jan 2010. The place was packed with film professionals. Before the beginning I had the pleasure to meet Lasse Pöysti, with a film career of 70 years, and counting. He was maybe the only one present who had attended already the first Jussi Gala in 1944. He reminisced old greats of the Swedish theatre and cinema such as Lars Hanson, Victor Sjöström, and Ingmar Bergman. I was co-hosting Mario Van Peebles, who had arrived from Los Angeles, and was often gloriously bored, as all the talk was in Finnish only. There were two standing ovations. For Heikki Nousiainen, who after retirement is at the top of his game with four film roles last year, including two Jussi nominations, both in the supporting role of tailor Halme in Under the North Star, and in the leading role of Letters to Father Jacob. And for Lasse Pöysti, of whom every Finn has fond memories, including as a favourite teller of children's fairy-tales.