Mykkätrilogia got started in the early 2010s, when I got to know Heikki Kossi, who had previously moved to Kokkola. I wanted to make a cinematic performance in which all the sounds would be created live as the film was projected on the screen and the light and shadow would play together.
I was really into foley sounds and making them reminded me of magic. It was fascinating to see how different objects produced mechanical sounds, which, together with the image, formed completely new meanings. I thought that this kind of cinematic performance would be close to the magic and playfulness that film screenings had in the early days.
The first film, Romu-Mattila ja kaunis nainen, tells the story of Romu-Mattila, who lives with his dog, and who, after losing his apartment, decides to sell the  rest of his possessions and move to Sweden. The inspiration for the story was Seppo Mattila, who had a tough fight with the city of Kokkola over his apartment.
In 2016, Otto Kylmälä suggested that the long-lost first Finnish fiction film Salaviinanpolttajat could be realised in the same way. I liked the idea and the new version was made quickly so that it was ready to be screened when Finland celebrated its 100th anniversary and Finnish cinema celebrated its 110th anniversary in 2017. And as there were two films already, I felt this had to be made into a trilogy. The last part of the trilogy, Kaukainen planeetta, was inspired by two things above all others. I wanted to make a space adventure, which would have the set and props made of cardboard and other amateurish means, and to see Jaana Paananen, already known from the previous silent films, in the main role as the film’s hero. The last part of the trilogy tells about the lighthouse keeper Marlanda and her little brother Maximilian. It’s a story about the end of everything and extraordinary attempts to survive it.

Juho Kuosmanen

Music in Mykkätrilogia
Juho Kuosmanen’s Mykkätrilogia is a performance in which three short silent films are presented in such a way that all sounds, music and also foleys, are performed live. The composer and performer of the music is Ykspihlajan Kino-orkesteri, the foley artist in the performance is Heikki Kossi and sound artist is Pietu Korhonen. The parts of the trilogy, Romu-Mattila ja kaunis nainen, Salaviinanpolttajat and Kaukainen planeetta, are independent short films, but at the same time they form a coherent whole. The music in the films is mostly composed throughout, but it also includes improvisational parts. The musical language and style are influenced by Finnish, American and Italian film music and musical traditions. Mykkätrilogia is a tribute to silent film and its performance tradition, where live music plays an important role.