Finnish Boxing Movie 'Olli Maki' Serves Up Surprising Quirk With its Punches

Newcomer Finnish filmmaker Juho Kuosmanen’s “The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki” is earning praise for its unexpected humor and romance.

After all, it is a boxing movie.

“I found Mäki’s story very funny,” Kuosmanen told TheWrap’s awards editor Steve Pond on Tuesday night during a Q&A hosted by TheWrap at the Landmark Theater in Los Angeles.

Shot on 16mm black and white, the biopic centers on one of Finland’s greatest boxers, Olli Mäki, when he fought for the World Featherweight title in 1962.

Also Read: 'The Ardennes' Director Talks 'Underbelly Characters,' Wrangling Ostriches

The film won this year’s top prize in the Certain Regard category at the Cannes Film Festival and is competing in this year’s Oscar race for Best Foreign Language Film.

It depicts a surprisingly ambivalent Mäki, who is played by Jarkko Lahti, as the athlete experiences an inner conflict about the media circus surrounding his pending match.

“I felt he was interesting because there is a contradiction between his personality and the boxing,” said Kuosmanen, who described the real Mäki as being decidedly lighthearted.

Also Read: 'The Eagle Huntress' Is an 'Antidote' to Trump Locker Room Talk, Director Says (Video)

Included in the film are Mäki’s real quotes to media at the time, which were essentially the polar opposite of the trash talk we’re accustomed to hearing from boxers nowadays. “At least I won’t lose to a bad opponent,” he said (in real life and in the film).

The timing of the match coincided with a blossoming romance between Mäki and and his future wife Raija, played by Oona Airola. With hearts in his eyes, he couldn’t care less about promoting the match.

Mäki is from the town of Kokkola, Finland. “I’m from the same town,” said Kuosmanen, explaining the reason he was familiar with the boxer’s story before he wrote the script.

Also Read: Pedro Almodovar Apologizes to Meryl Streep for Shooting 'Julieta' in Spanish (Exclusive Video)

The writer-director first shared his vision of the film with Lahti five years before filming began. The actor started training right away, with a seeming lack of awareness that filming wouldn’t be taking place for quite a while. “He trained for five years for this,” said Kuosmanen. “He took two fights and lost them both,” the filmmaker added with a laugh.

As for the real Mäki, he appears alongside his wife Raija in a fitting cameo as they stroll past the actors playing them. “Raija still enjoys it,” Kuosmanen said of the film.

Oscars So WTF? 21 Most Surprising New Academy Members, From Daphne Zuniga to Tina Fey (Photos)

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences invited 683 new members on Wednesday -- including many who raised eyebrows.

Also Read: Welcome to the Academy! Idris Elba, Brie Larson and Other Stars Who Snagged Invites (Photos)

Getty Images
Daphne Zuniga, actress

Zuniga is best known for her work on the '90s TV soap "Melrose Place" and "One Tree Hill," but she has acted in movies like "The Sure Thing" and “Spaceballs.”
Getty Images
Patti LuPone, actress

The veteran Tony and Emmy winner is best known for her work on stage and TV, but LuPone's film credits include "Driving Miss Daisy," "Witness" and the 2013 movie "Parker."
Getty Images
Keenan Ivory Wayans, writer/director

Wayans was invited to both the writers and directors branches even though his big-screen work has consisted of low-brow comedies like "White Chicks” and “A Low Down Dirty Shame” that aren't exactly Academy material.
Getty Images
O’Shea “Ice Cube” Jackson, actor and writer

Though Ice Cube most recently starred in "Ride Along," the rapper was also invited for his work as a screenwriter on movies like “The Players Club” and “Friday.”
Getty Images
Phyllida Lloyd, director

Lloyd directed “Mamma Mia!” and "The Iron Lady," which earned an Oscar for star Meryl Streep.
Francois Durand/Getty Images
Adam McKay, director

Writer-director McKay earned an Oscar this year for his script for “The Big Short,” but he's not exactly a Hollywood newbie. His credits include Will Ferrell hits like “Anchorman" and "Step Brothers."

Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Marlon Wayans, actor

Although he starred in "Requiem for a Dream," Wayans is best known for his work in comedies like Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy's hit "The Heat," as well as the "Fifty Shades of Grey" parody "Fifty Shades of Black."
Getty Images
Patty Jenkins, director

Jenkins directed "Monster," which earned star Charlize Theron an Oscar as serial killer Aileen Wuornos. She currently is directing DC's "Wonder Woman," slated for release in 2017.
Getty Images
Lynne Ramsay, director

Some of Ramsay's most notable films include “We Need to Talk About Kevin” and “Morvern Callar.”
Tristan Fewings/Getty Images
Marjane Satrapi, director

Satrapi, who wrote the graphic novel "Persepolis," directed the film version of the novel -- which earned an Oscar nomination back in 2008. She also directed the comedy-horror film "The Voices."
Elisabetta Villa/Getty Images
Rita Wilson, actress

Wilson acted in the movies "It's Complicated," "Runaway Bride," and "Sleepless in Seattle." She also produced "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and the 2008 version of "Mamma Mia!"
Getty Images
Martin Starr, actor

The comic actor is best known for his work on the HBO hit "Silicon Valley" but his big-screen credits include "Knocked Up" and "Adventureland."
Getty Images
Lilly and Lana Wachowski, directors

Siblings Lilly and Lana Wachowskis are best known for directing "The Matrix" trilogy and “Cloud Atlas."
Getty Images
Tina Fey, writer

Tina Fey is best known for her work on TV, but she was invited to the Academy in the writing branch -- not the acting branch -- even though her only produced screenplay is 2004's "Mean Girls."
Corina Marie Howell for TheWrap
Betty Buckley, actress

Buckley was featured in “Wyatt Earp” and “Carrie,” the 1976 film adaption of Stephen King's novel. But she's best known as a Tony-winning stage actress.
Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images
Ken Loach, director

British filmmaker Ken Loach is responsible for directing award-winning festival darlings like “The Wind That Shakes the Barley” and “Kes.”

Ian Gavan/Getty Images
Lesli Linka Glatter, director

Linka Glatter earned an Oscar nom for her 1985 short "Tales of Meeting and Parting" and directed the 1995 Christina Ricci movie "Now and Then." But she's best known for her work on TV shows like "The West Wing" and "Homeland."
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
Richard Kelly, writer

Though Kelly directed and wrote cult classic "Donnie Darko," he was invited to the Academy as a writer.

Getty Images
Vivica A. Fox, actress

Fox was featured in “Kill Bill” and “Independence Day.”
Getty Images
Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton, directors

Faris and Dayton co-directed the 2006 Oscar winner "Little Miss Sunshine" (as well as the 2012 indie "Ruby Sparks"), which makes it odd that they weren't already Academy members.
Getty Images