Director Introduction

2023

Finland

Teemu Nikki

An experienced and prolific self-taught award-winning filmmaker and the son of a pig farmer from Sysmä, Finland. Nikki's style is best described as unapologetic political satire with goodwill toward humanity. His latest work, "The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic," won the Audience Award at the Venice Film Festival. Other works include "Nimby" (2020), "Euthanizer" (2017), and the 2021 TV series "Mister8" and "Mental." He is currently working on his feature film "Death is a Problem for the Living," which is in post-production.

2022 Tuulikki (14 minutes)
The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic (82 minutes)
2021 Mental 3 (8 episodes)
2021 Mister8 (8 episodes)
2020 Nimby (94 minutes)
2019 All Inclusive (14 minutes)
2018 Mental 2 (10 episodes)
2018 The Cleaner (16 minutes)
2017 Euthanizer (83 minutes)
2016 Mental (10 episodes)
2016 The Log (7 minutes)
2015 Lovemilla (96 minutes)
2015 Fantasy (10 minutes)
2014 Boobs (17 minutes)
2014 #lovemilla 3 (20 episodes)
2014 #lovemilla 2 (24 episodes)
2013 #lovemilla 1 (26 episodes)
2012 Simo Times Three (86 minutes)
Sweden

Liselotte Wajstedt

A Sami multimedia artist from Kiruna. After being educated in painting and art in Sweden, she is now based in Stockholm. She pursues creating works that convey Sami identity and political issues through art, utilizing various styles and techniques in over 20 works. She is a leading figure in art documentary films in the Swedish film industry, with her notable work "Sami Daughter Joik / SÁMI NIEIDA JOJK" (2008).
Denmark

Anita Killi

Animator, director, screenwriter, CEO

From 1988 to 1990, she studied illustration and graphic design at the Norwegian National College of Art and Design. She then studied animation and documentary filmmaking at Volda University College. In 1996, she graduated from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts with a degree equivalent to a master's degree, majoring in animation (multiplane technique).

She established and runs her own animation studio, Trollfilm, in Dovre, Norway. She is known for directing and writing several award-winning short films, including "The Hedge of Thorns" (2001) and "Angry Man" (2009), the most awarded film worldwide in 2010. She completed a new short film, "Mother Didn't Know," in May 2020, which is currently on the festival circuit. She is passionate about bringing difficult themes to the screen for young audiences, such as children affected by war, depression, and domestic violence. She aims to inspire and move audiences through animation. She is an idealistic filmmaker, writing, directing, animating, and producing her films at her company Trollfilm. After undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, she is focusing on screenwriting and directing. "I believe that film can be more than just entertainment and should be. It is exciting to aim for greater depth in projects so that we all learn something new. Combining artistic films with important issues is reassuring. Problems shouldn't just be sad or heavy. But if the audience is moved, good conversations can start, and they may feel like they have learned or experienced something important." She believes that while there are many wonderful, cleverly made animations, much of the content is too frivolous. She is excited about grand, lyrical films that move slowly and give the audience space to think. Although she has primarily worked on children's films, they have also impacted adults. Since children are vulnerable and impressionable, filmmakers need to take on a great responsibility as communicators, messengers, and educators. Sadly, quality films for children often take a backseat compared to the wealth of artistic films for adults.

Filmography

Mother Didn't Know (Wants to Know More)
2020, 11 minutes, multiplane cutout
Director & Screenwriter: Anita Killi

Pilot for the feature film "Christmas Survivors (Jula på Dovre)"
2014, 1 minute, multiplane cutout/puppets
Director & Screenwriter: Anita Killi

Angry Man (Sinna Mann)
2009, 20 minutes, multiplane cutout. Based on the book by Gro Dahle
Director & Screenwriter: Anita Killi

The Hedge of Thorns (Tornehekken)
2001, 13 minutes, multiplane/cutout. Based on the book by Elzbieta
Director & Screenwriter: Anita Killi

The King Who Wanted More Than a Crown (Kongen som ville ha mer enn en krone)
1999, 28 minutes. Animation.
Directed by Anita Killi, co-directed by Randall Meyers
Screenplay: Lars Saabye Christensen

Far, Far Away (Langt langt borte)
1997, 4 minutes. Multiplane/cutout.
Directed by Natasha Nikitina, co-directed by Anita Killi

The Daughter of the Sun (Lavlashiid Aigi)
1996, 12 minutes, multiplane/cutout.
Based on the book by Mary Ailoida Sonby
Director & Screenwriter: Anita Killi

The Circle (Sirkelen)
1994, 5 minutes, painted on paper
Directed & Edited by Laila Løchen
Animation: Anita Killi

Glass Beads (Glassballen)
1992, 3 minutes, cutout
Directed & Screenplay: Anita Killi, Hege Krogvig Bergstrand
Iceland

Una Lorenzen

Director
Una Lorenzen is an Icelandic film director based in Montreal, Canada. She earned a master's degree in experimental animation from the California Institute of the Arts. Her films have been widely screened at festivals and museums, including SXSW, the New Museum in New York City (Nordic Outbreak 2013), Nordisk Panorama, KRO Art Gallery in Vienna, Papaya Gyro Nights in Hong Kong, Unsound Music Festival in Poland, and online at Artforum.
Norway

Marita Mayer

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Norway

Katrín Helga Andrésdóttir

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Sweden

Vedran rupic

Special Mention – Diamond "The Diamond," Vedran Rupic, 14 minutes, Sweden, 2021. Motivation: "The jury would like to give a special mention to a film that pushes the limits of humor and delivers a rarely achieved wild and rowdy ride." Synopsis: Stefan is lonely and desperate to make friends. In the forest, he sees a diamond, but it remains out of reach. The solution arrives in the form of a much smaller man.

About the Director: Vedran Rupic is a Swedish director of Bosnian roots. He started making films in high school, abandoning his dream of becoming a scientist. Initially focusing on documentaries, he then transitioned to short narrative works such as "The Diamond" (2022), "Salvatore Ganacci: Step-Grandma" (2021), and "Salvatore Ganacci: Horse" (2019). Vedran does weird things in the best way possible. In his own words, he does "premium weird."
Norway

Henry K. Norvalls

A director and screenwriter based in Oslo. He earned a degree in Screen Practice and Film Studies from the Faculty of Arts at Roehampton University. He has made several short films. His notable works include "Shower," which was screened at numerous international film festivals and has over 650,000 views on Vimeo, and "Sweet Things," which gained attention during the #metoo campaign and has been viewed over 130,000 times. As a director, he pursues making films about injustice and indifference, with a clear social conscience present in his work.
Denmark

Tobias Rud

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Sweden

Ida Melum

EE BAFTA nominee and Annie Award winner. An award-winning animation director based in the UK and Sweden. After earning a diploma in acting in Norway, she completed a BA in Animation at Middlesex University in London.

Before deciding to pursue a master's degree in Animation Directing at the National Film and Television School (NFTS), she worked as a stop-motion animator on the BAFTA-winning films "Poles Apart" and "Facing It." At NFTS, she created films such as "Shopped" and "Ovary-acting" and graduated with honors. Her film "Night of the Living Dread" has been shown at various festivals. Her latest work includes directing and animating for the BBC's David Attenborough nature documentary "Wonder of Song" and the trailer for the Fredrikstad Animation Festival 2022. She is currently developing a new short film.