Olli Saarela

Olli Saarela (born March 16, 1965 in Helsinki, Finland) is a Finnish film director. He has directed films such as Ambush, Bad Luck Love, Rollo and the Woods Sprite and Year of the Wolf, which is based on a book written by Virpi Hämeen-Anttila.

Family

On May 21, 2006, Saarela married Tanja Karpela (née Vienonen; previously Karpela), who is the current Minister of Culture in Finland and was Miss Finland in 1991. Saarela was previously married to Anu Pirilä, with whom he has three children: Venla, Nicholas and Anton.

Education and career

Before Saarela started studying to become a film director, he worked as a firefighter.

Production company and soundtracks

MRP Matila Röhr Productions is the company that is usually responsible for producing Saarela's movies. Tuomas Kantelinen is responsible for creating the soundtracks to Saarela's films.

The Heinäluoma incident

In August 2006, Saarela directly attacked Minister of Finance Eero Heinäluoma in an interview for Image Magazine, since, in his opinion, the Social Democratic Party of Finland that Heinäluoma heads had slandered his wife during budget negotiations. Minister of Culture Tanja Saarela ended up having to explain her husband's comments to the press and Olli Saarela later apologized for his rash comments.^[1]

That a grown man dares to. He's a miserable, big and bald-headed sissy. I would've punched him in the nose, the way he made himself look good was so outrageous.

—Olli Saarela in Image, 8/2006, p. 37

Filmography

• The Redemption (Lunastus, 1997)
• Ambush (Rukajärven tie, 1999)
• Bad Luck Love (2000)
• Rollo and the Woods Sprite (Rölli ja metsänhenki, 2001)
• The Year of the Wolf (Suden vuosi, 2007)
• Priest of Evil (Harjunpää ja pahan pappi, 2010)

Short films

• Rotta (1989)
• Let Sleeping Animals Rest in Peace (Antakaa eläinten nukkua rauhassa, 1992)
• Juha Antti-Poika (1992)
• Julma maaseutu (1993)
• Ristin juurella (1997)
• Koverhar - Three Days from the Life of a Butcher (Koverhar - lihanleikkaajan kolme päivää, 1998)

References

1. ^ Olli Saarela pyytää anteeksi Heinäluomalta - HS.fi - Kotimaa

External links

• Olli Saarela at the Internet Movie Database

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Name	Saarela, Olli
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Date of birth	March 16, 1965
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