Le Café de mes Souvenirs is an international, French-Finnish music film. The movie is written and directed by Valto Baltzar. The plot runs partly through songs composed originally for the film by a Finnish jazz composer Heikki Sarmanto.  The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the most respected and recorded symphony orchestras in the world, performs the score in the film. 

​​Le Café de mes Souvenirs is the love story of Emilie and Philippe. The story takes place in Helsinki, where Emilie works in her mother’s café and Philippe, a Frenchman, has moved to Finland to work as a French teacher. Their love story develops like a musical, with and song and dance – until they have to face some cold realities of life. The world surrounding our lovers grows tougher and true humanity is not easy to find. The society is becoming increasingly fragmented, and not everyone can keep up. Philippe stumbles, but despite all of his struggles decides to survive. 

 
The movie is an homage to the French movie classic The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Les Parapluies de Cherbourg) directed by Jacques Demy. The film is filmed in Finland and France. In Finland the film is filmed in Helsinki, Porvoo, Kauniainen and Sipoo. In France the filming took place in Cherbourg and Paris. Finnish design plays a central part in the set design, for example the designs of Yrjö Kukkapuro and Marimekko can be seen in the film. The cities of Helsinki and Cherbourg are in collaboration with the film. The film is filmed using eco-friendly energy. 

Awarded in Czech Republic, Italy and Spain, selected to the 43rd Moscow International Film Festival 2021

French-Finnish musical The Cafe of My Memories has been awarded the Best Feature Film Award in Prague in April 2022. The award has been a great honour for the film as well as for the world-renown City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra that played the film’s score. The film has been internationally well received. It was selected to be shown at the gala of the 43rd Moscow International Film Festival in April of 2021.  In July the film was selected to
the Ischia International Film Festival, where director Valto Baltzar received the Aenaria -award for best artistic direction. Not long after that The Café of my Memories won the Audience Award at Calella International Film Festival in October, voted by the festival goers and the Spanish people as their favourite film. In December of 2021 The Café of my Memories competed in the  Catania Film Festival where the female lead, Eveliina Kauhanen, received the award for best new actress.

Thoughts of the film 

“It was my turn to organize a movie night for my neighbours. In the video rental shop I just so happened to pick up the movie “Les Parapluies de Cherbourg”, which made an incredible impression on me. That was when Cherbourg first appeared in my life, and I decided to go see the town in person. On the spot I discovered it gave out that same feel as the movie, and once more I praised Jacques Demy’s genius. A small, idyllic town. First love. Deneuve. Castelnuovo. How safe and magnificent to have the chance to grow up in such an environment.
 
I have grown up in a small town, one which may seem lonely and abandoned on the outside. I’d like to remind people that there is life outside the big cities as well. We live in a time where small counties’ value goes undetected, and big cities keep hogging the attention of the authorities. The depression of the small counties goes unseen. Cherbourg got me to think of authenticity, which you often encounter outside the metropolis.
 
Valto Baltzar
Director & Scriptwriter

​"After the advent of the postmodern cinema (which I call the second new wave) it has seemed impossible to come back to a certain innocence in moviemaking. However, Valto Baltzar's new work seems to make exactly that impossible move,  bearing a possibility in becoming a strong example of the third new wave of personal cinema. Baltzar's collaboration with the composer Heikki Sarmanto in the movie project "Le Café de mes Souvenirs" reminds me strongly of the collaborative work between the 1960's new wave director Jacques Demy and the composer
​Michel Legrand. Like Demy, Baltzar brings in his worldmaking his realm of fantasy in a close connection with the issues of the contemporary reality. Music is inseparable of the love story, which invites the spectator with itś familiarity to be surprised of how the events will develop."

 Kari Yli-Annala
 AVEK Awarded lecturer 

​Lyrics written by Valto Baltzar, Heikki Sarmanto is the composer of the film. Heikki Sarmanto is a Finnish jazz pianist and composer. Sarmanto began to play jazz during the 1960s. He studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Sarmanto has released numerous recordings, published scores as well as having several film scores to his credit. Sarmanto has collaborated with jazz musicians such as Sonny Rollins, Art Farmer and Helen Merrill. 

Articles about film 

Film review - Kommersant 
​
Le Cafe de mes Souvenirs at Pendance Film Festival 

French-Finnish musical praised at the 43. Moscow International Film Festival

Team

Director, Scriptwriter & Lyricist
Valto Baltzar​

Composer
Heikki Sarmanto

Orchestra
The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra

Cast
​Lionel Nakache - Philippe​
Eveliina Kauhanen - Emilie​
Anouchka Delon - Maria
Irina Björklund - Charlotta​
Ilkka Merivaara - Elias
​Minna Koskela - Inna
​Jorma Uotinen - Ilmari​
Elias Keränen - Timo
​Victoire Vecchierini - Emma
​Ines Kakkonen - Anna​
Niko Saarela - Tapani
Gaëla Le Dévéhat – Colette
Marja Packalén - beggar
Larissa Saari - young beggar
Matti Onnismaa – Arska 
Eero Siren - Pena
Rainer Kaunisto - Jare         
Ursula Salo - Doctor 
​Fedor Grigorev -  Street musician
Anna Nevala - Lissu
  ​
                                                                                                                                                                                         
Producer
Valto Baltzar

​Assistant producer
Kimmo Koskela

Unit Production Manager
Alf Hemming 

Cinemaphotographer 
Kimmo Koskela

Editor
​Kimmo Koskela

Second editor
Meri Itäkodes

Set designer
Maria Jännes

Costumer
Anu Gould

Assistant director
Mikael Marignac

Script supervisor
Kari Yli-Annala
​​
International Distribution Partner
Kartano Audio Ltd

Marketing Consulting
Jukka Aminoff​

Media Consulting
Mari-Leena Kuosa