Mikko Myllylahti is a Finnish screenwriter, film director and author. He graduated from the Department of Film, Aalto University Helsinki in 2012. His first feature script was Juho Kuosmanen’s debut The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki, which won the main prize of Un Certain Regard section in Cannes 2016 and was also the Finnish entry for the Academy Awards. Mikko’s directorial feature film debut The Woodcutter Story premiered in Cannes Critic’s Week Competition in 2022 and won the GAN Fondation Award for French distribution. His books of poetry have gained critical acclaim and in 2012 he was awarded the Kalevi Jäntti Literature Prize for his third collection ‘Väylä’. Currently he is working on his second feature film for Aamu Film Company and developing several international film and television projects.
Mikko Myllylahti
Screenwriter
Director
Poet
Finnish, English
The Woodcutter Story, feature film, 2022 (Cannes Critic’s Week)
The Tiger, short film, 2018 (Cannes Critic’s Week)
The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki, feature film (script), 2016 (Cannes Un Certain Regard)
Interests:
My background is in poetry, yet I am also deeply interested in classical structure and storytelling. Fascinating things exist in the crossroad of familiar and unknown. I believe that as a writer one needs to nurture and protect their originality and at the same time be open to new ventures. Recently I’ve been interested in the thriller and horror genres, especially when they collide with what is sometimes called art house cinema.
Selected Filmography:
The Woodcutter Story, feature film, 2022 (Cannes Critic’s Week)
The Tiger, short film, 2018 (Cannes Critic’s Week)
The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki, feature film (script), 2016 (Cannes Un Certain Regard)
The Handbag, short film (directed by), 2013 (Best Nordic Short Film -nominee)
The Pyramid, short film, 2012 (Tampere ISFF)
Achievements:
GAN Foundation Award for French Distribution for The Woodcutter Story, Cannes Critic’s Week Competition, 2022
Camera d’Or – nomination, best debut feature, Cannes Film Festival 2022
5-year Artistic Grant, Arts Promotion Centre Finland, 2023-2027
Next Step Prize in Cannes Film Festival for best feature project The Woodcutter Story, 2019
Torino Film Lab FeatureLab Main Prize for the project The Woodcutter Story, 2018
Kalevi Jäntti Literature Prize for ‘Väylä’, 2012
