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A Summer by the River (1998)

A Summer by the River (1998), directed by Markku Pölönen, starring Pertti Koivula and Simo Kontio.

02/13/1998 BR Comedy and Drama 1h 25m

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Synopsis

Kuningasjätkä is set in North Karelia in the mid-1950s and depicts the summer of 10-year-old Topi at the boating site with his widowed father Tenho.

  • Kari SohlbergCinematography
  • Markku PölönenDirector, Writer
  • Jukka NykänenEditing
  • Kari SaraProducer

About the film

A Summer by the River (Finnish: Kuningasjätkä) is a 1998 Finnish film written and directed by Markku Pölönen. The film is set in the 1950s Eastern Finland and tells the story of father Tenho (Pertti Koivula) and son Topi (Simo Kontio) after Tenho's wife — Topi's mother — dies and leaves the two men unable to pay rent. The two men move out of the family home and spend the summer working as lumberjacks in log driving, sleeping on the riverbank and growing closer together through the experience.

The film was a major success at the 1999 Jussi Awards winning in five categories including Best Film, Best Actor and Best Direction. The film was selected as the Finnish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 71st Academy Awards but was not accepted as a nominee.

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A Summer by the River (Finnish: Kuningasjätkä) is a 1998 Finnish film written and directed by Markku Pölönen. The film is set in the 1950s Eastern Finland and tells the story of father Tenho (Pertti Koivula) and son Topi (Simo Kontio) after Tenho's wife — Topi's mother — dies and leaves the two men unable to pay rent. The two men move out of the family home and spend the summer working as lumberjacks in log driving, sleeping on the riverbank and growing closer together through the experience.

The film was a major success at the 1999 Jussi Awards winning in five categories including Best Film, Best Actor and Best Direction. The film was selected as the Finnish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 71st Academy Awards but was not accepted as a nominee.

Cast and characters

Pertti Koivula — Tenho

Simo Kontio — Topi

Esko Nikkari — Hannes

Anu Palevaara — Hilkka

Peter Franzén — Kottarainen

See also

1998 in film

Cinema of Finland

List of Finnish films: 1990s

List of submissions to the 71st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film

List of Finnish submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

References

External links

A Summer by the River at IMDb

Text from A Summer by the River on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Summer_by_the_River

Trivia

Production

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Awards

  • Jussi Award for Best Film 1999

Nominations

  • International Submission to the Academy Awards 1999

Cast

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Questions about this film

What is A Summer by the River about?

A Summer by the River: Kuningasjätkä is set in North Karelia in the mid-1950s and depicts the summer of 10-year-old Topi at the boating site with his widowed father Tenho.

Who directed A Summer by the River?

A Summer by the River was directed by Markku Pölönen in 1998.

Who stars in A Summer by the River?

The cast of A Summer by the River includes Pertti Koivula, Simo Kontio, Esko Nikkari, Anu Palevaara and Peter Franzén.

How long is A Summer by the River?

A Summer by the River runs for 85 minutes, or 1h25.

What awards did A Summer by the River win?

A Summer by the River has 1 recorded awards, among them Jussi Award for Best Film.

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Page updated on 09/17/2026.

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Scene from A Summer by the River