About Me
Photo: Eeva Hannula.
I was born in Helsinki in 1970 at the height of the cold war. Helsinki was a small town, and in many ways it still is. I went to school there - and continued my studies at the University of Helsinki. I started work as a scriptwriter in the mid-1990s, and as a script consultant and teacher in film and media in the early 2000s. I continue to write and develop fictional stories and concepts, and I've also written factual books on diverse fields such as sports betting and modern theatre. In my creative practice, I explore themes of displacement, identity, and power.
I also teach scriptwriting and directing at The department of Culture and Media at Arcada UAS, where I am a senior lecturer. For over ten years I was part of an exchange program between Africa and Finland, an experience that rocked my view of the world. It changed my approach to stories too, and led me to pursue a PhD at the University of Helsinki, where I defended my dissertation successfully in 2019. My thesis explored the functions of empathy in intercultural narratives, and I am still curious what moves us emotionally, and how we come to understand the other.
I also teach scriptwriting and directing at The department of Culture and Media at Arcada UAS, where I am a senior lecturer. For over ten years I was part of an exchange program between Africa and Finland, an experience that rocked my view of the world. It changed my approach to stories too, and led me to pursue a PhD at the University of Helsinki, where I defended my dissertation successfully in 2019. My thesis explored the functions of empathy in intercultural narratives, and I am still curious what moves us emotionally, and how we come to understand the other.