Finnish director Dome Karukoski’s local blockbuster, Lapland Odyssey (Napapiirin sankarit) [pictured], scooped four prizes in the heavy categories – Best Feature, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, the Audience Prize – as the Filmiaura, the Finnish Film Professionals’ Association, Sunday announced their annual Jussi awards at a televised Helsinki gala.

A comic road movie filmed in Lappland, where death by suicide far outnumbers fatal car accidents, Lapland Odyssey has taken 360,000 admissions domestically for Sandrew Metronome Finland. “It is about male underdog shame in Finland,” said Karuskoski.

Jalmari Helander’s Rare Exports: The Truth about Santa, also on the local charts selling 249,000 tickets, received six prizes, mainly for technical achievements. Shot in northern Norway, the Finnish Christmas epic has been licensed to 12 countries, including the US, the UK, Germany, Spain, Russia and Australia.

Finnish 87-year-old director Matti Kassila, whose films have won seven Jussis, collected a Life Achievement Award at theceremony, which concluded a cinema year when Finnish films for the first time registered more than two million admissions, doubling the 2009 result and breaking the 1978 all-time record of 1.8 million.

Finland’s Jussi – full list of awards

Best Feature: Lapland Odyssey (Napapiirin sankarit), prod: Aleksi Bardy, for Helsinki-filmi

Best Director: Dome Karukoski, for Lapland Odyssey

Best Actor: Ville Virtanen, for Bad Family (Paha perhe), dir: Aleksi Salmenperä

Best Actress: Katja Küttner, for Princess (Prinsessa) dir: Arto Halonen

Best Supporting Actor: Sampo Sarkola, for Heartbeats (Kohtaamisia), dir: Saara Cantell

Best Supporting Actress: Sara Melleri, for Run Sister Run (Sisko tahtoisin jäädä), dir: Marja Pyykkö

Best Original Screenplay: Pekko Pesonen, for Lapland Odyssey

Best Cinematography: Mika Orasmaa for Rare Exports: The Truth about Santa, dir: Jalmari Helander

Best Music Score: Juri Seppä, Miska Seppä, for Rare Exports

Best Sound Design: Tuomas Seppänen, Timo Anttila, Jussi Honka, for Rare Exports

Best Editing: Kimmo Taavila, for Rare Exports

Best Set Design: Jalmari Helander, for Rare Exports

Best Costume Design: Saija Siekkinen, for Rare Exports

Best Documentary: Steam of Life (Miesten vuoro), dir: Joonas Berghäll. Mika Hotakainen

Audience Award: Lapland Odyssey

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