Born in 1977 in Porvoo, Finland. He attracted international attention as an illustrator and a cartoonist when he was still a teenager. He studied film direction at the Department of Film and Television of the University of Art and Design, Helsinki, and as a student, made two award-winning short films, [#i_]Eyes closed without hands[_i#](2000) and [#i_]The Fall[_i#](2003). In 2005, he was S\\ed to the Cannes Film Festival´s Residence du Festival program to develop the script for [#i_]The Visitor[_i#], his debut project as director. [#i_]The Visitor [_i#]premiered in Venice Days at the Venice Film Festival in 2008 and won the Nordic Film Award, the first prize of the Gothenburg Film Festival in 2009. It was also awarded for best cinematography. He has also directed multiple commercial films and worked as an editor and a storyboard artist.