Film Director & Media Artist
In my narrative films, I examine communities, norms, and the stigmas they produce—focusing on those for whom these expectations become too narrow. My media art approaches the same theme from the inside out: using games and play as methods to study how individuals act within a community and build it together. These two practices are complementary—narrative cinema and participatory media art are two different ways of asking the same fundamental question.
About the Practice I work at the intersection of narrative cinema and contemporary art, creating dialogue between lived experience, cultural structures, and the fragile ways we sustain relationships.
My cinematic work explores emotionally charged experiences—friendship ruptures, paranoia, and identity—through genres ranging from comedy to horror, often with an absurd or darkly playful tone. Currently, I am developing several feature-length screenplays that expand these themes into broader narratives of power dynamics and human adaptation in unstable environments.
Alongside cinema, my media art practice examines games and play as metaphors for adult life. My current work in progress, Switch Place – Adjidji Ya, explores the diaspora experiences of Beninese people living in Finland, using play traditions as a lens to study identity, memory, and belonging. Looking forward, I am developing a new research project based in Japan, where I plan to continue this inquiry into cultural play traditions and their social resonances.
Latest
Camouflage / Suojavärit (Feature Film) – Selected for the prestigious Kehittämö program shortlist (Finnish Cultural Foundation & AVEK) in early 2026. Currently in active development with Sons of Lumière.
I Remember You (Short Film, 2026) – A collaborative psychological horror film focused on collective storytelling and atmospheric suspense. Premiered in January 2026 and currently in festival distribution.
Switch Place – Adjidji Ya (Media Art / Research) – A multi-channel work bridging Benin and Finland, using play traditions to study the diaspora experience. Scheduled for filming in late 2026.
Artistic Research in Japan (Media Art / Research) – An upcoming research residency in Tokyo (2026–2027) in collaboration with Jiyu Gakuen and academic partners affiliated with Tokyo Gakugei University.
Ode à la joie (Performance, 2025) – A ritual afro-contemporary performance in Lomé, Togo, exploring water as a sacred link between memory and the future.
Showreel
Narrative showreel (2011-2018). Edited by Saara Välimäki
For previews and documentation of my media art works, please visit my artist profile at AV-arkki – The Centre for Finnish Media Art.
MARJO VIITALA 