born 1967, Rovaniemi
lives and works in Helsinki
Professional career
2012-2016 Professor of art.
since 1996 Documentary films (writer, director).
2007 Artistic director of DocPoint – Helsinki Documentary Film Festival.
since 1989 Journalist for several newspapers and magazines, including the Sunday and monthly supplements of the major national daily Helsingin Sanomat and cultural magazine Image.
1991-92 Photography exhibitions.
Studies
1996 Master of Arts, University of Art and Design Helsinki, Department of Photography.
1988-1994 University of Tampere, journalism and communication studies.
Filmography
Retrospctives
2015 Belgrad, The Magnificent seven
2014 Malmö Sweden, Nordisk Panorama
2006 Linz Austria, Crossing Europe -festival
2005 Rennes France
2002 Århus Denmark, Nordisk Panorama
2003 Tampere Film Festival, Finland
Eleganssi/Elegance, 25 min
A short documentary about gentlemen and grey partridge hunting
Production: Euphoria Film Oy, 2015 (release in December)
2016
Tampere film festival, Best short film, main prize
DocPoint Helsinki Dodumentary Film Festival
Oberhausen Short Film festival, international competition, Zonta-prize
Garden Lovers, 75 min
A Comedial documentary on couples taking care of their gardens
Production: Made Oy, 2014.
2014
Premiere at Tampere film festival: Main prize, feature lengh documentaries
2015
Jussi-prize 2015: The Best documentary of the year, best music
International premiere Visions du Réel, Switzerland, International competition
Seattle International Film festival, USA
Krakow Film festival, Poland
DOXA documentary Film festival, Vancouver, Canada
Sodankylä film festival
Peace &Love – filmfestival, Borlänge
Zagreb Dox, Special mention, 2015
Nordisk Panorama, Malmö 2014, The Opening film
Anjalankoski film prize, 2015
Prix Europa – Nomination 2015, Berlin
2014
Cinema release in Finland
Hilton!
A feature lengh documentary on drifting youngsters
Production: Filmimaa Oy, 73 min, 2013
2013
Premiere at DocPoint Helsinki Documentary film festival, The Opening film
Cinema release in Finland
Tampere film festival, Competition
Nordisk Panorama festival, International competition
DOK Leipzig, International competition, 2013, Ver.di - Prize
Auf Wiedersehen Finnland, 2010
A feature lengh documentary on young women who left Finland in 1944 with the German soldiers
Production: For Real Productions/TV1 /ARTE Strasbourg 78 min
2010
Cinematic release in Finland
International premiere at the Locarno Film Festival, Critics week, - competition
Nordisk Panorama competition
Leipzig documentary film festival
Lübeck documentary film festival
2011
One world filmfestival Prague
The Idle Ones
Documentary about unemployed young men in northern Finland, 2001
Production: Kinotar Oy / Arte, 78 min.
Awards
2001
Best Nordic Documentary, Nordic Panorama
Nominated for Best European Documentary
2002
Finnish JUSSI Award for Best Documentary
Filmmaker Film Festival, Milan, Best Documentary Film
Quality Support, National Council for Cinema
Short films
Spring
A short documentary of a spring day, starring 12-13-year-old boys and a few same-aged girls in a Northern Helsinki suburb.
Production: Kinotar Oy, 16 min.
sold to ARTE
War
The entertainment industry produces equipment for games in which children emulate the adult world ever more authentically using toys.
Production: Kinotar Oy, 6 min
Along the Road Little Child
Documentary about Finnish and Somali children in Vantaa, Finland. 2005
Production: Kinotar Oy / Arte, 78 min
Honorary mention of the jury, Nordic Panorama 2006
Visions du Reel, Nyon, official selection
A Soapdealer’s Sunday
A documentary about getting lost in time, 1998
Production: Kinotar Oy / ZDF/Arte, 25 min.
Awards
1998
Special Jury Award, Tampere International Short Film Festival
1999
Audience Award, Nyon
White Sky
A documentary about coping with destruction, 1998
Production: Kinotar Oy, Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE)/TV1, 54 min. 16/35 mm
Awards
1998
Best Nordic Documentary, Nordic Panorama
Special Jury Award, Tampere International Short Film Festival
Quality Support, National Council for Cinema
Sin - a documentary of daily offences
A documentary based on the seven deadly sins, 1996
Production: Kinotar Oy/Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE)/TV1, 36 min. 16/35 mm
Awards
1997
Silver at the Nordic Glory Festival - Women in Film and New Media, Jyväskylä 1997
Quality Support, National Council for Cinema
The Ministry of Education’s Young Finland Award (Nuori Suomi)
1996
Best Nordic Documentary, Nordic Panorama
Award of the Finnish Critics’ Association
Audience Award, Tampere International Short Film Festival
Grand Prix and Best Documentary Award at Media&Message, Lappeenranta
Best Nordic Documentary, Uppsala Film Festival, Sweden
Insolence
A documentary about everyday female aggression. The Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) 1994
domestic competition at the Tampere International Short Film Festival
screened in the ARS 95 exhibition at the Finnish Museum of Contemporary Art
screened at the Nordic Women’s Forum in Turku 1994
Animal’s hand
A video essay about relationships in nature, the natural and the unnatural. A playful approach to nature clichés. Production: Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE)/TV2, 1994
1994
Honorary Mention in the domestic competition at the Tampere International Short Film Festival 1994
Lover
A documentary about love between two old people. Production: Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE)/TV1, 1994
domestic competition at the Tampere International Short Film Festival
Virpi Suutari
born 1967, Rovaniemi lives and works in Helsinki Professional career 2012-2016 Professor of art. since 1996 Documentary films (writer, director). 2007 Artistic director of DocPoint – Helsinki Documentary Film Festival. since 1989 Journalist for several newspapers and magazines, including the Sunday and monthly supplements of the major national daily Helsingin Sanomat and cultural magazine Image. 1991-92 Photography exhibitions. Studies 1996 Master of Arts, University of Art and Design Helsinki, Department of Photography. 1988-1994 University of Tampere, journalism and communication studies. Filmography Retrospctives 2015 Belgrad, The Magnificent seven 2014 Malmö Sweden, Nordisk Panorama 2006 Linz Austria, Crossing Europe -festival 2005 Rennes France 2002 Århus Denmark, Nordisk Panorama 2003 Tampere Film Festival, Finland Eleganssi/Elegance, 25 min A short documentary about gentlemen and grey partridge hunting Production: Euphoria Film Oy, 2015 (release in December) 2016 Tampere film festival, Best short film, main prize DocPoint Helsinki Dodumentary Film Festival Oberhausen Short Film festival, international competition, Zonta-prize Garden Lovers, 75 min A Comedial documentary on couples taking care of their gardens Production: Made Oy, 2014. 2014 Premiere at Tampere film festival: Main prize, feature lengh documentaries 2015 Jussi-prize 2015: The Best documentary of the year, best music International premiere Visions du Réel, Switzerland, International competition Seattle International Film festival, USA Krakow Film festival, Poland DOXA documentary Film festival, Vancouver, Canada Sodankylä film festival Peace &Love – filmfestival, Borlänge Zagreb Dox, Special mention, 2015 Nordisk Panorama, Malmö 2014, The Opening film Anjalankoski film prize, 2015 Prix Europa – Nomination 2015, Berlin 2014 Cinema release in Finland Hilton! A feature lengh documentary on drifting youngsters Production: Filmimaa Oy, 73 min, 2013 2013 Premiere at DocPoint Helsinki Documentary film festival, The Opening film Cinema release in Finland Tampere film festival, Competition Nordisk Panorama festival, International competition DOK Leipzig, International competition, 2013, Ver.di - Prize Auf Wiedersehen Finnland, 2010 A feature lengh documentary on young women who left Finland in 1944 with the German soldiers Production: For Real Productions/TV1 /ARTE Strasbourg 78 min 2010 Cinematic release in Finland International premiere at the Locarno Film Festival, Critics week, - competition Nordisk Panorama competition Leipzig documentary film festival Lübeck documentary film festival 2011 One world filmfestival Prague The Idle Ones Documentary about unemployed young men in northern Finland, 2001 Production: Kinotar Oy / Arte, 78 min. Awards 2001 Best Nordic Documentary, Nordic Panorama Nominated for Best European Documentary 2002 Finnish JUSSI Award for Best Documentary Filmmaker Film Festival, Milan, Best Documentary Film Quality Support, National Council for Cinema Short films Spring A short documentary of a spring day, starring 12-13-year-old boys and a few same-aged girls in a Northern Helsinki suburb. Production: Kinotar Oy, 16 min. sold to ARTE War The entertainment industry produces equipment for games in which children emulate the adult world ever more authentically using toys. Production: Kinotar Oy, 6 min Along the Road Little Child Documentary about Finnish and Somali children in Vantaa, Finland. 2005 Production: Kinotar Oy / Arte, 78 min Honorary mention of the jury, Nordic Panorama 2006 Visions du Reel, Nyon, official selection A Soapdealer’s Sunday A documentary about getting lost in time, 1998 Production: Kinotar Oy / ZDF/Arte, 25 min. Awards 1998 Special Jury Award, Tampere International Short Film Festival 1999 Audience Award, Nyon White Sky A documentary about coping with destruction, 1998 Production: Kinotar Oy, Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE)/TV1, 54 min. 16/35 mm Awards 1998 Best Nordic Documentary, Nordic Panorama Special Jury Award, Tampere International Short Film Festival Quality Support, National Council for Cinema Sin - a documentary of daily offences A documentary based on the seven deadly sins, 1996 Production: Kinotar Oy/Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE)/TV1, 36 min. 16/35 mm Awards 1997 Silver at the Nordic Glory Festival - Women in Film and New Media, Jyväskylä 1997 Quality Support, National Council for Cinema The Ministry of Education’s Young Finland Award (Nuori Suomi) 1996 Best Nordic Documentary, Nordic Panorama Award of the Finnish Critics’ Association Audience Award, Tampere International Short Film Festival Grand Prix and Best Documentary Award at Media&Message, Lappeenranta Best Nordic Documentary, Uppsala Film Festival, Sweden Insolence A documentary about everyday female aggression. The Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) 1994 domestic competition at the Tampere International Short Film Festival screened in the ARS 95 exhibition at the Finnish Museum of Contemporary Art screened at the Nordic Women’s Forum in Turku 1994 Animal’s hand A video essay about relationships in nature, the natural and the unnatural. A playful approach to nature clichés. Production: Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE)/TV2, 1994 1994 Honorary Mention in the domestic competition at the Tampere International Short Film Festival 1994 Lover A documentary about love between two old people. Production: Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE)/TV1, 1994 domestic competition at the Tampere International Short Film Festival