Directed by Aki Kaurismäki (Finland and Germany, 2023, 81 min.) Finnish and Arabic with English subtitles.

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, this romantic comedy from Aki Kaurismäki (Le Havre, The Other Side of Hope) follows two lonely souls in search of love who meet by chance in a Helsinki karaoke bar. But the pair’s path to happiness is beset by numerous obstacles—from lost phone numbers to mistaken addresses, alcoholism, and a charming stray dog. This “beguiling and delightful cinephile comedy” (the Guardian) is Finland’s submission for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.

“Gorgeous.... Fallen Leaves is not only a deft combination of all of Kaurismäki’s best traits as a filmmaker, but it’s a damn good romantic comedy too, turning the innate exhaustion of being human into keenly constructed set dressing for one of the genre’s finest surprises this year.” —Daily Beast