Finnish DIRECTORS

AJ Annila is a talented finnish film director and writer. He is well known for his craft in TV series like Peacemaker (2020), Shadow Lines (2019-2021) and feature films like Eternal Road (2017), Sauna (2008) and Jade Warrior (2006). AJ is a master in storytelling and emotion.

Anssi is an established film director particularly in the field of advertising and short films. He is also cinematics and live-action director for AAA video games like Alan Wake II (2023) and Control (2019).

Ezra envisions commercial, artistic and short films. His background in soundscapes and music translates into an allround melodic feeling in moving image.

Jappe is an experienced director who has directed award-winning TV-commercials, short films, music videos and TV-drama. He has studied graphic design and cinematic arts, including film directing and filming. As a director he is highly visual storyteller and loves working with actors. Storytelling and humour is what he wants to do most. Jappe is known to be analytic and relentless when it comes to his films, and he conciders every side of the story to get the best results. Jappe has won lots of international and national awards, including Epica, Clio, Cresta, Voitto, Effie and Vuoden Huiput. Jappe has also been nominated as the best drama director of the year in Venla-contest.

Joonas Kirjavainen studied film at Tampere University of Applied Sciences and started at Otto in 2015.

With a long journey in the commercial film arena, Joonas seamlessly fuses the dual roles of Otto's own up-and-coming in-house director and seasoned production manager. He has an ability to conseptualize and direct visual, genuine, quirky and sincere productions, underscoring cost-effective and versatile approach that only extensive experience can cultivate.

Joonas' social aptitude and interpersonal skills ensure that your projects shine on both screens and also behind the scenes. Wow!

Joonas has also already clinched the award for best social awareness commercial film at the renowned Finnish Voitto-gaala.

Juho, multiawarded director of the year 2022,was raised in the suburbs of Espoo, Finland, by a photographer dad and journalist mom. Juho directed his first TV commercial in December 2010. Since then, he has been the greatest director in the world — in his mother’s opinion. When Juho is not working, he tries to be the greatest dad in the world, which is pretty much the same thing as directing. Telling great stories, conveying good emotions and trying not to eat too much candies from the catering.

Klaus Härö is an award-winning film director from Finland. His fifth feature film The Fencer (2015) was shortlisted for an Oscar and nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Foreign Language Film category in 2016. His other works also include Elina, as if I Wasn’t There (Crystal Bear Berlinale 2003), Mother of Mine (2005), Letters to Father Jacob (2009), One Last Deal (2019), Life After Death (2020) and My Sailor, My Love (2022).

In 2003, Klaus Härö received the Ingmar Bergman Award, the winner of which was chosen by Ingmar Bergman himself. Four of Härö's features has been chosen as Finland's submission for the best foreign-language film category at the Oscars.

During his years in the business he has directed some hundreds of commercial shorts.

Lauri Nurkse is a Finnish director and an actor. His best-known films include Playing Solo (2007), Hustlers (2010), Look of a Killer (2016) and Koskinen (2022), and the television series Kumman kaa (2nd season, 2004-2005), Uutishuone (2009), Toisen kanssa (2014), Wingman(2016) and Pirjo (2018-2020). The latest television production directed by Lauri is Dirty Snow (2023).

Markus is a living legend in the world of Finnish marketing and martial arts. He has been working as a director of commercials since 1995.

He has directed hundreds of commercial films, mainly for the Finnish market, but also for the Swedish, German, Polish, Hungarian and Estonian markets.

Markus has directed commercials all over the world; in Malta, Cuba, USA, South Africa, Portugal, Turkey, Spain, Thailand, Japan, France, Estonia, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, Ireland and Slovenia.

Markus has received many awards for his work in national competitions and several international awards. Most recently, he was awarded a double Guldägg in Sweden in 2022.

Markus has experience in shooting large international productions, but he also likes to shoot small guerrilla-style films from time to time, as long as the material is interesting.

His favourite scripts are cinematic stories with strong characters and a good plot. Markus believes that if an advertisement can touch you with an emotional one-inch punch, it will convey its message. Action!

Olli has been directing commercials for years. Yes. Many years. And even more awards. Most of his commercials are comedy. Kind of quirky comedy. Honest Finnish comedy. Well… About the casting, Olli prefers antiheroes to regular heroes. Why? Antiheroes are more interesting. More lovable. Precision casting makes Olli's life easier. About his storytelling; less is usually more. Some call his style deadpan, minimal, but… lovable!

Osmo loves ideas. He says, "In advertising, selling more products is not an Idea. An idea is to find and show the emotional link that unites the product and the viewer. Without that link advertising is just noise. With it, it becomes music.”  This link is what he strives to find and show.

Osmo is a storyteller, and an excellent director of actors. He can find the soul of the the actor, be it amateur or not. He believes in the goodness of people and wants to show it in his films. Osmo has also built a restaurant chain, a hotel, and several startups, so when you need a strong storyteller that understands arts and business, he is perfect for the job.

Osmo is a father of four and an award-winning director, including Cannes lion, Clio, New York, Cresta, Effie, and his commercial was elected by the viewers the best commercial ever made in Finland.

Pete is an award-winning Finnish director specializing in commercials, music videos, opening sequences, and, in his own words, "random stuff." Pete is so much to work with.

His style is versatile, and Pete's films are infused with warm-hearted humor, offbeat characters, robots, CGI of all kinds, sci-fi elements, children, talking animals, Lamborghinis, explosions—essentially, everything under the sun. In addition to his eclectic range, Pete keeps abreast of the latest technology, such as AI, and possesses a keen ear for amazing music. Regardless of the digital tools, genre or theme, Pete's films consistently emanate a positive humane touch.

Petri Kotwica is a freelance film director and graduate from Helsinki film school. Kotwica has directed award-winning feature films, such as Absolujtion, Black Ice, and Comeback. He has also directed several successful mini-series for tv and streaming services, latest The Seize (2023), and Hautalehto (2022, 2024).

Petri is an excellent actor-director and a master of dark humor.

Sam is a multidisciplinary artist from Helsinki. A director-filmmaker,singer-songwriter and composer, with an equally solid background in VFX,Shingler has a wide range of experience directing commercials, documentariesand animation series. His bonus skills include animation and motion graphics, conceptual and graphic design, music and sound production—just to mention a few. A highly experienced, yet always curious, positive and enthusiastic all-round creative!

Viivi Huuska is a Finnish director and photographer. Born in 1989, her life journey has been short but intense. At the age of 16 she was already performing among drag queens who became her mentors. Being raised in such a bracing and free environment led her to see the world through a carnivalesque lens and understand gender from a position of acceptance and empowerment.

All of Huuska’s photographs and videos have a that unwavering recognizable style that seduces the viewer in an unconventional way. Throughout her work, she continues exploring gender, femininity, the representation of the female figure in modern media and the importance of tolerance.

Huuska’s clients include prominent film production companies, editorial magazines, fashion designers and the leading record companies of Finland. She also works with the most popular music artists in the country.

As a director of commercials, Huuska has succeeded in creating her own intimate style to tell stories that connect to audiences in a universal way.

She is deathly afraid of birds. She is inspired by popular culture and serial killer documentaries. She loves airports and sci-fi movies.

Zaida is one of the most prominent Finnish film directors, best known for her 2020 film Tove, a biography of Moomin author Tove Jansson.

She often focuses on wild family stories and complex, extreme characters. Her themes include the relationships between mothers and daughters and siblings. Drama films with a twist, psychological stories with genre elements.

Bergroth graduated from the University of Art and Design with a Master of Arts in 2004.