ESA JUSSILA
Born and raised in Naantali, Finland, Esa had a passion and talent for visual expression already at a young age, and began attending art school evening classes of a community college at as soon as it was allowed, from the age of 7. At the age of 12, he got his hands on a Sony Hi8 camcorder, and began shooting short home movies with his friends.
This quickly grew into a more serious hobby, and he, along with three friends, founded the movie team TR Productions, and began publishing their short movies on the internet, editing them in secret at a school computer class – and getting thrown out multiple times, before eventually securing their own editing equipment. Most of the short movies revolved around action and horror, with plenty of physical special FX – a recurring theme that would pave the way to Esa’s proficiency in tackling genre film storytelling and FX shots.
TR Productions became known as a prolific and quickly advancing film team in the Finnish independent movie scene, known then as Findie. On the most prolific years, they would put out a dozen short films per year, with every one seeing more and more technical advancements as Esa and his crew honed their craft and became more knowledgeable about the rules of filmmaking.
Not content with short films, Esa and his crew then moved on to independent feature films, shot on a shoestring budget, starting with TNT: Merchants of Death in 2006. In quick succession they made several features, with some, such as the zombie film Parasite Quarantine (2008), getting some international attention in the genre/underground scene.
By the time Esa made the decision to formally study film, he already had directed and DP:d five independent feature films and countless short fims. He studied film in Turku Arts Academy (Part of Turku University of Applied Sciences) and during the second year was already making a living working as a freelance director and cinematographer in commercials and music videos.
As well as studying and working, he decided to aim for self-suffiency when it came to filmmaking facilities and gear, and began setting up a small studio. This became a long-term, growing investment and a philosophy that continues to this day – and has given him readiness to tackle most projects without the additional investment of rental gear. Throughout the years, he has also developed a recognizable personal visual and directorial style as well as an eye for special FX and action cinematography.
As of today, Esa has worked on a dozen feature films, and directed seven. His works have been featured in festivals worldwide. TR Productions, formed back in 2003, is still operational, with a constant tick of new releases directed and DP:d by Esa Jussila. Most recently he released his first theatrical feature film, (Pri)sons, which premiered in Finland in february 2024.
Having worked with very little in the past, and in harsh low budget/indie film productions, has given him readiness and the resilience to work effectively in very high stress and projects with constrained schedules or resources. His current range of works spans from traditional commercials and music videos to narrative films.
(Bio Picture by Lisa Mcwhirter, Mcwhirter Photography)