Night on Earth

Outdoor Cinema 

Thursday, 10.9. at 8:30 PM, Karhupuisto Stage 

Fiction, 1991, USA, Japan, France, Germany, UK

Director and screenwriter: Jim Jarmusch
Duration: 2 h 9 min.
Themes: Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Rome, Helsinki, taxi
Language: English, French, Italian, Finnish; subtitled in English
Age rating: General viewership

The film will be introduced by actor Sakari Kuosmanen.

On Thursday evening at Bear Park, an open-air screening will feature Jim Jarmusch's beloved 90s classic, representing the absolute elite of urban cinema.

Set in five nocturnal cities, Night on Earth tells five stories of encounters between taxi drivers and their passengers. The film, which takes place in Los Angeles, New York, Paris, and Rome, culminates in a snowy, recession-era Helsinki, where the patience of the driver played by Matti Pellonpää is tested when a drunken trio (Kari Väänänen, Sakari Kuosmanen, Tomi Salmela) gets into his taxi on their way from Tehtaankatu to Vallila.

Hilariously amusing yet deeply humane, Night on Earth reminds us that we are all fundamentally the same – no matter who sits in the driver's or passenger's seat.

The film is a celebration of shifting languages, cultures, and actors. Following the Finnish charmers, the stories in the film, starring Winona Ryder, Giancarlo Esposito, and Roberto Benigni, are tied together by Tom Waits' expressive music.

The late film historian Peter von Bagh writes: "Jarmusch's experience of Helsinki is a small miracle to me. He shows us things that no Finnish film has ever considered, and yet, through some strange instinct, he almost summarizes the spirit and history of Finnish cinema.”

This is a film that absolutely must be seen in Karhupuisto.

Before the film, a Matti Pellonpää look-alike competition will be held on the Karhupuisto stage. It will be judged and the film introduced by Sakari Kuosmanen.

Karhupuisto Film Festival received the Matti Pellonpää Recognition Award in autumn 2025.

Other crew information:
Cinematography: Elmes
Editing: Jay Rabinowitz
Music: Tom Waits
Producer: Jim Jarmusch
Production companies: Locus Solus Entertainment, JVC, Victor Music Industries, Le Studio Canal+ Pandora Film, Channel Four Films