Viljami has studied screenwriting in Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, where he graduated as a Bachelor of Arts in 2019. He did also exchange studies in Netherlands Saxion University of Applied Studies accomplishing a minor programme “How to create a TV format”. Viljami has a solid experience from writers’ rooms through work and studies. He has been writing TV Series such as Salatut Elämät and Rantabaari.
Screenwriter
Salatut Elämät
Rantabaari
Finnish, English
Saara Cantell has decades of experience writing and directing in Finland. Some of her most beloved work includes the children’s film series Onneli ja Anneli (Jill and Joy). Saara holds MA and Doctorate of Arts from Aalto University. Besides directing 11 feature films she has directed six TV- series, her latest work being the awarded Swedish police series Tunna Blå Linjen (Thin Blue Line). Saara has also written three novels and is currently working on her fourth. Her films have traveled festivals around the world and won multiple awards.
Director
Screenwriter
2024 Thin Blue Line (Tunna blå linjen), season 3, director in episodes 3-4.
2024 The Northern Star (Annelin aika), documentary.
2023 Siblings (Sisarukset), experimental feature.
Finnish (native), Swedish (native), English, French, (Spanish)
Kaisa El Ramly is a half Finnish half Egyptian writer and director currently based in Helsinki. She has been in the Industry since 2001, first as an actor for many years before turning her focus mainly onto writing and directing. Her debut feature film GETAWAYS & DREAMS (writer/director) had its domestic premiere in 2023, and has travelled major international festivals. She has MA in film studies, School of Arts, Design and Architecture, ELO Film School, Aalto University (2016) and BA in theatre studies, Academy of Performing Arts, DAMU, Czech Republic (2001).
Director
Screenwriter
(Actor)
CRITICAL POINT, tv series (director), writers & producers Whatevergroup, YLE, 24
GETAWAYS & DREAMS, feature, (writer/director), Inland Film Company, 23
THE ORGASM OF ALL TIME, audio play (writer/director) YLE, 21
Finnish, English, Czech, Swedish
Laura is a Finnish writer-director. She has an MA in Screenwriting from TAMK in Finland, an MSc in Film Business from London’s Film Business Academy and studied filmmaking at Denmark’s European Film College. After twenty years living and working in the UK and a few in Amsterdam, she currently divides her time between Berlin and Helsinki. Hyppönen is an alumna of Berlinale Talents, genre lab Film Garage in Torino, Circle Fiction Orbit in Montenegro and Think Shoot Distribute in London. She has developed her screenplays as a fellow of the Bergman Estate in Sweden, Nipkow Program in Berlin and Helsinki International Artist Programme in Finland.
Director
Screenwriter
Quadraturin (UK, 2018), short film
Live East Die Young (UK, 2012), feature film (nominated Best UK Feature at Raindance)
Finnish, English, Russian, German
Natalie Immonen is a Finnish-Peruvian screenwriter residing in Ireland. She has several original scripts currently in development. Her feature film script Paloma Brouhaha (Helsinki-filmi) won the Women in Film & Television International (WIFTI) Worldwide Pitch in 2022. Her TV-series concept Diblings was selected for in-house LGBTQIA+-content development by Finland’s national broadcaster Yle in 2022-2023. In March 2024, Natalie participated in the inaugural Storyhouse Lab with her feature script project XY. The lab ran in parallel with the Storyhouse Screenwriting Festival in Dublin, organised by Element Pictures.
Screenwriter
Finnish, English, Spanish, French
Sofia Jalonen is a bilingual screenwriter with a keen production sense. She launched her career in the United Kingdom before returning to Finland, where she graduated from the Turku Arts Academy (TUAS, 2024). In addition to screenwriting, Sofia is also an accomplished musician and an award-winning sales and marketing coordinator. Earlier this year, her horror series pilot WOLF earned a spot on Coverfly’s Red List.
Screenwriter
PIKKULI JA TÄHTIPEURA, TV-series, 13 episodes – screenwriter, in production
PARADISE CAMPING tv-series – screenwriting intern, in development
WITCHES OF GOD, feature film – screenwriter
English, Finnish, (Korean)
Tuuli Kanervankallio (BA in Screenwriting, 2018) worked for five years in the writing team at Helsinki-filmi, one of the leading production companies in the Nordic region. Tuuli is also a 2024 graduate of the prestigious Serial Eyes program in Berlin and her recent work includes writing two episodes for the upcoming mystery thriller Icebreaker (winner of the 2024 MIPDrama Award at Cannes), and the screenplay for the critically acclaimed children’s feature film Itty Bitty Princess, based on the popular book series by Hannele Lampela.
Screenwriter
2025 ANNA MINUN RAKASTAA ENEMMÄN, (feature film, in production) dramaturg
2025 ICEBREAKER (thriller series) writer of episodes 3&4
2024 ITTY BITTY PRINCESS (feature film) screenwriter
Finnish, English
Susanna is an emerging screenwriter and director with a fresh, feminist comedic style. She majored in Film and TV Screenwriting at Aalto University. Her master’s studies are currently on hold as she has been drawn into the professional world. She is currently writing her debut feature film, Vieroitussaari, and developing a comedy series that she will both write and direct. In her free time, she takes improv classes.
Screenwriter
Director
TÄHTITEHDAS, 2023, short form comedy series – co-writer, director
TIKKARI (LOLLIPOP), 2023, short-film (dir. Sameli Muurimäki) – writer
English, Finnish
Olli Koivula is a Helsinki based director and screenwriter. His debut Finnish TV show about aspiring battle rappers ”Savela” was one of the most successful TV shows of the year. He is very a very versatile filmmaker. Koivula has studied cinematography and directing in Finland and New York, where he also made his first feature film ”Full Circle”. Despite it’s microbudget the film was distributed through eOne widely in the States, iTunes, Netflix, Amazon etc.
Director
Screenwriter
Cinematographer
Savela, Tv-series, 2022 (director)
Miehiä keskiyön auringossa, feature film, 2021 cinematographer)
Helsinki-Syndrooma, Tv-series, 2 episodes, 2019 (writer)
Finnish, English
Kaarina Leinonen is a versatile writer working with TV, films and theatre. She also teaches writing at Arts Academy, Film department, Turku University of Applied sciences. Recent years she has been a part of writer’s team in Finland’s most popular medical drama and writer for 24 episodes. Leinonen has a master’s degree in communication studies focusing on group communication as well as a degree in Theatre research and she has graduated also from writer’s program from Kriittinen korkeakoulu focusing on novel writing. Despite being busy writing and teaching, Kaarina continues writing and directing short films and her newest short film Epäsynkassa is in pre-production.
Screenwriter
Director
Finnish, English, Swedish, (French)
Juhana Lumme is a storyteller from Lapland, Northern Finland. Even though life has taken Juhana to warmer climates, his heart still beats in the Arctic soil. Graduated as a Master of Arts from Finland’s national film school, Juhana is an internationally awarded screenwriter, director, author and comic book creator, whose short films have been shown around the world. The first feature film he’s written, Dogs Don’t Wear Pants (dir. J.P. Valkeapää), had its world premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight section at the Cannes Film Festival.
Screenwriter
Director
DOGS DON´T WEAR PANTS, feature film (2019) Directed by J.P. Valkeapää. Screenwriter, original story.
VENUS, short film (2017) Screenwriter, director, editor and producer.
THE BAPTIZED BARBARIAN (2016) Screenwriter, director, editor and producer.
English, Finnish
Satu Mikkelinen was born and bred in Helsinki, Finland, and has since lived in Germany, Ireland, the UK and India. She holds a Master of Arts Degree in Film Screenwriting (with distinction) from the University of Salford, as well as a BBA, among other qualifications in various fields. She has worked as an actor for two decades, and teaches the Meisner Technique in universities, theatres and privately. Her one-woman play (co-written) Don’t Cry, Ofelia premiered in November 2022 in Valtimonteatteri.
Screenwriter
Actor
Finnish, English, Swedish, German, (French)
Mikko Myllylahti is a Finnish screenwriter, film director and author. 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.
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)
BA in dramaturgy from VGIK, MA in Culture and Arts Screenwriting from the Tampere University and Le Cordon Bleu Paris graduate, has written and directed short films and culinary shows. Anastasia is involved in the development of several TV series, short and feature films with companies such as Just Republic, Silva Mysterium and Dragonfly Productions. She participated in the Eureka programme of the Series Mania Institute in 2023. One of Anastasia’a project in development “Death Doula” was chosen by APFI (Producers Guild of Finland) to be pitched for “Coming Next From Finland” showcase at the Series Mania Forum in March 2024. The same project was selected to participate in Torino SeriesLab 2024.
Screenwriter
English, French, Russian
Yulia Pogrebnyak was born in Minsk and lived in St Petersburg before settling in Ruotsinpyhtää where she lives in and renovates a historical (1788) house. She has Master’s Degree in Screenwriting (TAMK, 2022) and an MBA. Her short film GET READY. OFF TO THE FEAST, 2021 (dir. L. Sogomonian) was selected in the official selection for Clermont-Ferrand ISFF in 2022.
Screenwriter
SCANDAL, TV-Series, drama 8 episodes – head-writer
BLUE BLOOD, TV-Series, sci-fi 8 episodes – writer of episode 1, in development
BRAMBLINGS, TV-Series, horror 8 episodes – writer of episode 1
Russian, Belarusian, English, Finnish
Heli Tamminen is a Helsinki based screenwriter enjoying the seashore living on a island close to the city. She has a Master’s Degree in Screenwriting (Aalto University) and is currently completing advanced studies in dramarturgy at her alma mater, to train as a qualified script consultant. She is currently developing a TV series as well as three features, one of which is the biopic PAINT LIKE A GOD (Silmu Films) based on the life of the Finnish visual artist Ellen Thesleff.
Screenwriter
Finnish, English, Swedish, German, (French)