Pirjo Honkasalo

Pirjo Honkasalo
Born
Pirjo Irene Honkasalo

(1947-02-22) 22 February 1947 (age 77)
Helsinki, Finland
Occupation(s)Film director, cinematographer, film editor, producer, screenwriter
Years active1970–present
SpousePirkko Saisio

Pirjo Irene Honkasalo (born 22 February 1947) is a Finnish film director who has also worked as a cinematographer, film editor, producer, screenwriter and actress.[1] In 1980 she co-directed Flame Top with Pekka Lehto, with whom she worked earlier and later as well. The film was chosen for the 1981 Cannes Film Festival.[2] In the 1990s she focused on feature documentaries such as "The Trilogy of the Sacred and the Satanic" (Mysterion, Tanjuska and the 7 Devils and Atman). Honkasalo returned to fiction with Fire-Eater (1998) and Concrete Night (2013), both of which were written by Pirkko Saisio.[3] Concrete Night won six Jussi Awards in 2014, among them the Jussi for the Best Direction and the Jussi for the Best Film.[4] Its world premiere was at the Toronto International Film Festival in Masters series.[5]

Pirjo Honkasalo worked as provincial artist laureate in Central Finland 1974–1975.[6] At that time she drove around the area with one-armed scholar who made research of traditional handcrafts. Honkasalo photographed all the interviewees voluntarily. On that journey she met the main characters of her documentary Their Age.[7] She is the first honorary member of Women in Film & Television Finland. The organisation says that "Honkasalo has [...] made touching films of universal topics" and also spoken out about the gender inequality in film industry.[8]

Pirjo Honkasalo and her partner Pirkko Saisio live in Kruununhaka,[9] Helsinki, but they also have apartments in Tavastia, Turku and Madeira.[3] Both of them enjoy travelling and they together have written a travel book Exit (1987).[10] They've raised Saisio's daughter, actress Elsa Saisio, and are one of the best-known lesbian couples in Finland.[3]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Elonet was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Festival de Cannes: Flame Top". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-06-03.
  3. ^ a b c Hiltunen, Pekka (August 2011). "Itsensä paljastaja | Pirkko Saisio". Image. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  4. ^ Petäjä, Jukka (2014-02-02). "Betoniyö palkittiin parhaasta ohjauksesta – se sai myös parhaan elokuvan Jussi-palkinnon". Helsingin Sanomat. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  5. ^ "Pirjo Honkasalon Betoniyön maailmanensi-ilta Toronton elokuvajuhlien arvostetussa Masters-sarjassa". Bufo Oy Press release. The Finnish Film Foundation. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  6. ^ Waarala, Hannu (March 11, 2010). "Lyhyestä pitkään elokuvaan". Keskisuomalainen. Archived from the original on 2014-03-25. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
  7. ^ Hytönen, Jukka (January 1999). "Totuus ei löydy kameraa heiluttamalla – Pirjo Honkasalon haastattelu". Filmihullu. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  8. ^ Koski, Jenni. "Pirjo Honkasalo valittu WIFT Finland ry:n ensimmäiseksi kunniajäseneksi". News. Women in Film and Television Finland. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Lehtonen was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Kivilaakso, Katri. "Saisio, Pirkko: 1949 -". Online collection of 100 Finnish biographies. Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura. Retrieved 18 March 2014.