Concrete Night opens in a cramped, concrete-jungle home. Ilkka, the elder of the two brothers, is leaving to serve a prison sentence. During Ilkka’s last 24 hours of freedom, his younger brother, vulnerable Simo, follows the brother he admires through the fateful events of that night.

Pirjo Honkasalo’s bold and perceptive urban film is a dream-like odyssey about a fragile mind of a young boy and the loss of innocence. Honkasalo wrote the film script based on the merciless novel Betoniyö by Pirkko Saisio, which was published in 1981. The 30-year-old novel foreshadows life today.

Concrete Night received its world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival in the prestigious Masters Series in 2013, and was Finland’s official entry for the Oscars and Golden Globes in 2014. In addition, cinematographer Peter Flinckenberg won the American Society of Cinematographers’ Spotlight Award for his work in Concrete Night. Other recognitions include the International Jury award for Best feature film at Pula Film Festival, six Jussi Awards (best film, director, cinematograhy, production design, sound design, editing) and nomination for the Nordic Council Film Prize in 2014.