2021 Panelists coming soon!
For now you can check our previous year's panelists below!
1st Oulu Children's Film Forum 17 Nov. 2020
The Panelists
Mika Anttolainen
Operative director, Oulu Children’s and Youth Film Festival
Anna Asplund
Artistic director, Oulu Children’s and Youth Film Festival
Klas Fransberg
CEO, Kinoscreen Illusion Ltd.
Kinoscreen is a 30 years old distribution company that mainly distributes children and youth films from the other Nordic Countries theatrically in Finland. It specializes in live action drama that has a clear message.
Jenny Gilbertsson
Children’s and youth film commissioner, Swedish Film Institute
Jenny Gilbertsson is Film Commissioner for Children and Youth at the Swedish film institute, handling short films, documentaries and long feature films, animation and live action.
Jetta Huttunen
PhD, Executive manager, KulttuuriKauppila Art Center
Jetta Huttunen is a cultural producer and cultural scientist living in Oulu, Northern Finland. Huttunen has recently concluded her PhD study on independent film production in Finland titled Self-produced filmmaking as a form of cultural production and a mode of participation in media culture. In her research Huttunen addresses the aspects of participation within media culture focusing especially on the publication and distribution of independent film production.
Jetta Huttunen is currently working as executive manager in KulttuuriKauppila Art Center in Ii. Ii is renowned for its ambitious climate actions and its professional international art roduction, for ex the Art Ii Biennial.
Ilkka Matila
Producer, MRP Matila Röhr Productions
Ilkka Matila is one of the most prolific film producers in Finland. He has produced 23 feature films, numerous shorts, serial drama and documentaries during the past 30 years. He has twice received the Finnish Jussi Award for Best Film, chosen to be the 'Producer of the Year' in Finland and invited as the member of the Jury e.g. in the Stockholm, Kaliningrad and Tallinn Film Festivals. Ilkka is the member of the European Film Academy, the Producer's Network ACE, the European Producer's Club and a co-owner of the production company Matila Röhr Productions.
Mikko Peltonen
Film commissioner, AVEK – Promotion Center for Audiovisual Culture in Finland
Mikko Peltonen is a Film Commissioner for AVEK. The Promotion Center for Audiovisual Culture (AVEK) promotes audiovisual culture in Finland by supporting the works, productions and projects of audiovisual industry professionals. Mikko Peltonen is the commissioner for short fiction films, short animations, documentary films and documentary series.
Pasi Pirttiaho
Moderator
Pasi Pirttiaho graduated in 2000. After that, he's been working in games industry, audiovisual industry and communications. He likes games, cats, making music, going to the gym, and british comedy series. He can't really jump but loves to try.
Marina Andree Škop
Director-producer-writer, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Director, producer and a scriptwriter, born in 1973 in Sarajevo (BA).
In 1997 she graduated from the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb, Department of editing. Her first feature documentary 'Sevdah' won the Audience Award at Sarajevo Film Festival in 2009, along with three awards at other festivals. She is currently focused on creation of challenging content for children. She developed and produced three TV series for children which were screened at Croatian Radiotelevision. Together with Dražen Žarković she co-directed SF feature for kids My Grandpa is An Alien, which was theatrically distributed in seven European countries and won thirteen international awards.
She is member of Croatian Freelance Artists’ Association and Croatian Producer Association.
Elli Toivoniemi
Producer, Tuffi Films
Elli Toivoniemi is an award-winning producer-director and a co-founder of a Helsinki based production company Tuffi Films. -- She produced the Academy Award nominated short fiction DO I HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING? (2012).
Her filmography as a producer includes over 20 films in all forms and lengths. Films produced by her have been awarded at festivals like Sundance and Chicago.
STUPID YOUNG HEART (2018) won the Crystal Bear at the Berlinale Generation 14+. -- She is the producer and co-director of the anthology series FORCE OF HABIT that premiered in Gothenburg Film Festival in January 2020, as did GAMES PEOPLE PLAY, a feature also produced by her.
Her first fiction film as director, ROLE, had its world premiere in Locarno International Film Festival in 2014, and her documentary film director debut ONCE I WAS A DRAGONFLY won the Critics Choice Award in Docpoint Film Festival in January 2017.
Kristel Tõldsepp
Producer, A Film Estonia
A Film Estonia was established in 1994 as subsidiary of the biggest Scandinavian animation studio A. Film A/S. Since 2011 A Film Estonia is an independent studio.
A Film Estonia is a full production house producing hand-drawn and computer animation for feature-length movies, broadcast TV and commercials.
In 2005 A Film Estonia started with their own first production, since then we have produced several short films and TV-series „Things You Think“. In 2020 A Film Estonia released its first animated feature film „Raggie“, which was co-produced with A.Film Production from Denmark.
Mikaela Westerlund
Executive director, Walhalla
Mikaela Westerlund has been working with non commercial screening of Nordic films in Finland for 15 years, being the executive director of the non-profit film organization Walhalla. Walhalla provides film festivals with Nordic films and also organizes filmtours and series for different target groups. The idea is to give audiences all over the country a possibility to enjoy Nordic films, and, at the same time, help the Nordic films find their audiences. The Nordic Film of the Month is one of the main events, consisting of almost one hundred screenings throughout the year. Pedagogic projects, that make film education in schools easy and fun, are also an important part of the associations work.
Jukka Vidgren
Director, Mutant Koala Pictures
Jukka Vidgren started his work as a commercial director in early 2000. Since then he has been working with music videos, short films and in features. Vidgren is graduated as a media producer from Oulu University of Applied Sciences. Vidgren has worked as producer, screenwriter and director.
Vidgren’s first feature as director and co-producer Heavy Trip had it’s international premiere at South by Southwest SXSW festival in Austin 2018. Since then the film has been part of dozen International film festivals such as Fantasia, Jameson Cinefest and Warsaw where in each the film won the audience award. The film has been sold to over 50 countries this far.
Vidgren is also a producer for one of the Finlands most accomplished film directors Markku Pölönen in his newest film Land of Hope (Oma maa). The film is a co-production with Solar films. The film will opened in Finnish cinemas in October 2018.
With his colleagues Juuso Laatio and Petteri Staven Vidgren runs the production company Mutant Koala Pictures that operates from Oulu, Northern Finland. The company produces commercial films, tv-shows and features and works in production services.
Juha Wuolijoki
Director & producer, Snapper Films
Juha Wuolijoki is an award-winning director, screenwriter and producer. Wuolijoki has directed globally known actors such as Golden Globe –nominated John Turturro (O Brother, Where Art Thou), Academy Award–nominated Burt Young (Rocky), Emmy Award–winning Michael Badalucco (The Practice) and Tony Sirico (Sopranos). His latest feature credits include upcoming family feature Vinski and the Invisibility Powder (2021), Zarra’s Law (2014), a crime drama set in New York and a period biopic Hella W (2011). His family feature Christmas Story (2007) was a topgrossing Finnish film of the year and has sold to over 120 territories including the USA and China. Wuolijoki’s Gourmet Club won the Venla Award for the best film and the Golden Nymph Award for the best script at the Monte Carlo Television Festival. He is a member of the European Film Academy and the Producer’s Guild of America.