Kaisu Isto
Kaisu Isto has a long career in the film industry in different positions, in festival organisations, in acquisition, as well as in financing films. She has experience from the festival organisations of the Oulu International Children’s Film Festival, the Midnight Sun Film Festival, and from the Tampere Film Festival. In Tampere, she has served a couple of times in the pre-selection team of both the National and International Competitions.
From festivals, Isto moved on to the Finnish Broadcasting Company, where she worked as the acquisition executive of international feature films and as a programmer. Isto has worked for the Finnish Film Foundation for 10 years as a film commissioner, first in financing feature films and then another five years giving out scriptwriting grants for fiction films.
Isto has served on the jury of many international film festivals and has worked as a commentator and in giving feedback within the film financing field.
Helinä Kuusela
The office coordinator of the Finnish Film Foundation, Helinä Kuusela has worked in various positions within the field of visual communication and culture. She has a master’s degree in photography from Aalto University, and she has also studied art in the University of Westminster and in the Pekka Halonen Academy.
In the jury, Helinä wishes to experience the joy of expression of both form and content of the short films. Animations and documentaries are also close to her heart.
Tatu Pohjavirta
Tatu Pohjavirta is an animation artist from Helsinki, who has worked with short animations for over 20 years, as a director, teacher, producer as well as an animator. His best-known works are the puppet animations Reflector (2001), Animal (2006), All Tender Things (2020), and the cut-out animations co-directed with Mark Ståhle, such as Animals for Animals (2011).
Tatu Pohjavirta is a member of the European Film Academy and one of the founders of the Turku Animated Film Festival TAFF. At this year’s Tampere Film Festival, Pohjavirta’s award-winning puppet animation Reflector is a part of the screening Turku Animation School 30 Years.
