Letters to Father Jacob is a 2009 Finnish drama film written and directed by Klaus Härö

Klaus Härö

Klaus Härö, born 31 March 1971 in Porvoo , Finland, Finland-Swedish film director. In 2004, Härö won Finland's State Prize for Art.-Films:*Letters to Father Jacob *The New Mankind *Mother of Mine...

. Set in the early 1970s and based on a story by Jaana Makkonen, the film tells the story of Leila, a pardoned convict, who becomes an assistant to a blind priest, Jacob. The film depicts her transformation from a sceptic who grudgingly reads letters aloud to her benefactor into a caring savior of the pastor from his despair after the letters stop coming.

Locations

Exteriors were filmed at St. Olaf's Church

St. Olaf's Church in Tyrvää

St. Olaf's Church in Tyrvää is a late medieval stone church in Tyrvää, Sastamala, Finland. It was built approximately in 1510–1516 and burnt down by a pyromaniac in 1997....

 in Tyrvää

Sastamala

Sastamala is a town and municipality of Finland. It was created January 1, 2009, when the municipalities of Vammala, Äetsä and Mouhijärvi were consolidated into a single town....

, Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 (Pyhän Olavin kirkko). The interiors were filmed at Holy Cross Church

Holy Cross Church (Hattula, Finland)

Hattula's Holy Cross Church is the oldest church in the former Tavastia province of Finland.Archaeologist and art history professor Markus Hiekkanen has shown that construction of the current brick building spanned the period from 1472 to 1490 and that the building did not date to the 14th...

 in Hattula

Hattula

Hattula is a municipality of Finland. Its seat is in Parola.It is part of the Tavastia Proper region and until 2010 it was located in the province of Southern Finland. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water...

 (Pyhän Ristin kirkko).

Accolades

Nordic Film Days, Lübeck, Germany, 4.–8.11.2009

Interfilm Church Prize

Audience Award

58th International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg

International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg

Mannheim-Heidelberg International Filmfestival is an annual film festival held jointly by the cities of Mannheim and Heidelberg in Baden-Württemberg. The festival was established in 1952. In Mannheim there are six cinema centres and 19 single cinemas.The festival presents arthouse films of...

, Germany, 5.–15.11.2009

Main Award

33rd Cairo International Film Festival

Cairo International Film Festival

The Cairo International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Cairo, Egypt. It was established in 1976 and was the first international film festival held in the Arab world...

, Egypt, 10.–20.11.2009

The Golden Pyramid for the Best Film

The Prize for the Best Screenwriter (Klaus Härö)

Black Nights Film Festival

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Tallinn, Estonia...

, Tallinn, Estonia, 27.11.-6.12.2009

Jury Prize for the Best Director

28th Fajr International Film Festival

Fajr International Film Festival

The Fajr Film Festival or Fajr International Film Festival is Iran's annual film festival, held every February in Tehran.The festival, started in 1982, is under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture in Iran...

, Iran, 1.–11.2.2010

Crystal Simorgh Prize for the Best Film in the Competition of Quest for Truth & Justice

33rd Göteborg International Film Festival, Sweden, 29.1.–8.2.2010

Nordic Film Music Prize (composer Dan Strömbäck)

Santa Barbara International Film Festival

Santa Barbara International Film Festival

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is a film festival and non-profit organization, established in 1985, that showcases independent American and international films. The SBIFF line-up includes 20 world premieres and 11 U.S. premieres, with newly expanded 11-day festival...

, USA, 4.–14.2.2010

The Best International Film Award

Festival du Cinéma Nordique

Rouen Nordic Film Festival

The Rouen Nordic Film Festival was a film festival hold in Rouen, France for screening and competition films made in Nordic and Baltic countries, Holland and Belgium...

, Rouen, France, 10.–21.3.2010

Best Actress Award (Kaarina Hazard)

Best Actor Award (Heikki Nousiainen)

Audience Award

Cape Winelands Film Festival, South Africa, 17.–27.3.2010

Special Mention Award (actor Heikki Nousiainen)

Hong Kong International Film Festival

Hong Kong International Film Festival

The Hong Kong International Film Festival is a platform for filmmakers, film professionals and filmgoers from all over the world to launch and experience new film work. There are seminars, conferences, exhibitions, and parties celebrating the festival community...

, 21.3.–11.4.2010

SIGNIS Commendation

RiverRun International Film Festival

RiverRun International Film Festival

The RiverRun International Film Festival is a regional film festival held annually each spring in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The festival is a 5013 non-profit organization and presents a variety of feature-length and short films from all genres, and also presents special events, regional...

, NC, USA, 15.–25.4.2010

BB&T Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature

Festroia, Portugal, 4.–13.6.2010

Prize Man and His Environment

Festival de Cine de Huesca, Spain, 4.–12.6.2010

Audience Award