| The Winter War | |
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The Finnish DVD cover |
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| Directed by | Pekka Parikka |
| Produced by | Marko Röhr |
| Written by | Pekka Parikka, Antti Tuuri |
| Starring | Taneli Mäkelä, Vesa Vierikko, Timo Torikka, Mika Heikki Paavilainen, Antti Raivio, Esko Kovero, Martti Suosalo, Markku Huhtamo, Konsta Mäkelä |
| Distributed by | National-Filmi |
| Release date(s) | 30 November 1989 (Finland) |
| Running time | Original: 195 minutes TV series: 265 minutes |
| Country | Finland |
| Language | Finnish |
The Winter War (Finnish: Talvisota) is a 1989 Finnish war film directed by Pekka Parikka, based on The Winter War, a novel by Antti Tuuri. It tells the story of a Finnish infantry regiment "JR 23", which consists almost solely of men from Southern Ostrobothnia, focusing mainly on a platoon of reservists from Kauhava. The film was released in Finland and Sweden on the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Winter War.
The film uses a wide array of genuine wartime vehicles and artillery, and when not possible, replicas are used. These include the T-26 light tank, the Tupolev SB fast bomber, the Polikarpov I-16 and the 37 mm PstK/36 anti-tank gun. Animated special effects were used to simulate tracer projectiles.
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Pekka Parikka was nominated for a Golden Bear in the category of Best Director at the 40th Berlin International Film Festival in 1990.[1]
On the Jussi Awards the same year, it received six awards:
The movie received an award in the category of Best Actor at the Rouen Nordic Film Festival as well.
An extended TV version was also made, consisting of five episodes, each with a running time of over 50 minutes. The series has been aired three times on Finnish TV (in 1991, 1999 and 2009).