Pekka Paalanen
Director and writer Pekka Paalanen, of Hungarian and Scandinavian ancestry, graduated from Arcada and has worked on TV productions, documentaries, commercials, comic books, and indie films for over two decades.
His short film Crime Alley (2022) received the Sustainability Award Verso at the Tampere Film Festival 2023 and the Award of Excellence at the International Human Rights Film Festival in Kotka, not only for its compelling story, but the production’s strengths regarding ecological and social sustainability.
In addition, after a nigh lethal stroke and his consequential adventures across Asia and Europe, Pekka is a trained expert by experience in accessibility, diversity, and equality in the working environment.
Matti Pollari
Working in the travel industry, Hervanta-based Matti Pollari also has a master’s degree in environmental engineering technology. In his day job as the project manager of Visit Tampere, he’s working on making Tampere an even more sustainable and carbon-neutral travel destination, his special focus being sustainable mobility and nature tourism.
Matti loves Pispala, cycling, the Rocky movies and playing drums in a closely guarded secret of Manserock, the Lemmenpyssyt group.
Anne Puolanne
As a professional in the audiovisual field, Anne Puolanne’s core competencies include productions and sustainability. Since 2021 she has worked as a project manager at the trade association Audiovisual Producers Finland APFI. APFI runs a project called Strategy on Sustainability, which heads the development of a more ecological work environment in the Finnish film and TV industry.
Puolanne is a founding member of NEMA (Nordic Eco Media Alliance), whose goal is to promote sustainability in the audiovisual field in the Nordic countries. From time to time, she also participates in production crews, having worked as a television freelancer since 2010, mainly as a content creator.
Marja Salonen
Marja Salonen works for the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE as a sustainability specialist. She has over 10 years of experience in audiovisual productions, i.a. as a head of production.
These days her main responsibility is to develop the environmental sustainability of YLE’s operations, especially within productions. The vast opportunities of the film and media industry to create a better future through their operations and narratives are also close to Salonen’s heart.
