Creators Celebrate Premiere of Mietaa in Kurikka, Finland
After a press screening of the film “Mietaa,” its creators burst into spontaneous cheers. Eelis Kakkonen, who plays Mika, expressed his excitement: “It feels incredible. This was the first time I’ve seen the film, and I didn’t expect it to be this good.”
The film is presented by the Mietaa Youth Association in Kurikka, one of the largest youth organizations in Finland, which hosts events for both young people and adults from autumn to spring. The storyline revolves around a amusement center and serves as a sequel to the film “Kasino,” released three years prior. Audiences can expect the thrills of young love set against a snowy parking lot backdrop, where the excitement is palpable.
“This is about youth. Even if you’ve never been to Mietaa, you can experience South Ostrobothnian youth through the film,” believes Marjukka Otsomaa, who portrays Satua. Director, screenwriter, and producer Mikko Jokipii reflected on the contrasting atmospheres of past and present youth culture in South Ostrobothnia, noting, “Thank goodness these young actors are so smart; they need to see how to act drunk. It’s awkward when a forty-something director is in front of the camera.”
The creators agree that the largely unchanged production team has taken significant steps towards professionalism. The returning cast includes characters and actors familiar from “Kasino,” such as Ina Aura as Katja and Iida Hietamäki as Tiina. Hietamäki mentioned that Tiina has grown within Mietaa’s context, while Aura reminisced about her primary school disco days that helped her delve into the film’s setting.
While the film “Kasino” garnered around 13,000 theatergoers, with creators never expecting its success to extend beyond a few localities, they approached this sequel more seriously, resulting in a markedly larger budget and production timeline. However, Jokipii cautiously anticipates only a few thousand theatergoers for “Mietaa,” emphasizing the importance of audience experience over mere numbers.