Director: Mika Kaurismäki
Script: Hannu Oravisto
Photography: Jari Mutikainen
Editor: Tuuli Kuittinen
Music: Anssi Tikanmäki
Cast: Anna-Maija Tuokko, Chu Pak Hong, Kari Väänänen, Lucas Hsuan, Vesa-Matti Loiri
Production: Marianna Films, By Media, Han Ruan Yuan He
Distribution: The Yellow Affair
Country: Finland. United Kingdom, China
Year: 2019
Length: 114’
Following the death of his wife, professional chef Cheng travels with his young son to a remote village in Finland to connect with an old Finnish friend he once met in Shanghai. Upon arrival, nobody in the village seems to know his friend but local café owner Sirkka offers him accommodation and in return Cheng helps her in the kitchen surprising the locals with the delights of Chinese cuisine. Gradually his cooking encourages these vastly different cultures to connect and Cheng is soon a celebrated member of the community. Unfortunately his tourist visa is soon to run out and it’s up to the villagers to come up with a plan to help him stay…
Mika Kaurismäki is one of Finland’s best-known and most prolific film directors and producers. He has directed and produced many successful films including Road North and The House of Branching Love, as well as documentaries about the Saimaa phenomenon and Mama Africa. He has won several international awards and has been awarded the Jussi Prize for the films Worthless, Rosso, Helsinki Napoli All Night Long, Zombie and the Ghost Train, and the Jussi Certificate of Honor for The Liar. Mika Kaurismäki was one of the founders of the Sodankylä Film Festival in 1986.