Hello! I'm glad you decided to check out my website. Here you will find a picture of me smiling, my online bio and information about the documentaries I've directed with some amazing people. I hope you find what you came looking for! -Petri
online bio on documentary work
(pictures and links below the boring text...)
Petri Luukkainen (1984) is a director known for his high concept documentaries, often revolving around environment and identity.
Petri's work reflects his "internet background" as a teenager, when he and his friends made low-resolution videos and GIF films for their own websites for the whole world to see in the late 1990s. From there, Petri started his career at the age of 17, directing everything from car commercials to a friend's wedding video - until he discovered documentary filmmaking.
His debut documentary MY STUFF (2013) was a hit, playing in theatres worldwide and making the whole shabang and being transformed into a reality TV format STRIPPED (USA, UK, Germany..) and a fictional remake 100 THINGS (2018) by Warner Bros Pictures & Pantaleo. This led Petri to work around the world on independent productions or as a commissioned director for channels such as ARTE, BBC, DR, NRK, RUV, SVT, VIAPLAY, YLE....
In between long-term projects, Petri has participated in various video, photography and art projects out of personal interest or need to make a living. Commissioned clients include Time Magazine, BBC World Service, Wien Museum MUSA and Universal Music to name a few for the sake of name dropping. Currently Petri is based back in Finland.
SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY AS DIRECTOR
GAME OF MINDS 2023 doc series YLE, ARTE. napafilms, CORSO film
THE GAMER 2023 doc feature napafilms, CORSO film
WOULD YOU EAT THIS 2021 doc series YLE, DR, NRK. RUV, SVT co-production
FOMO SHORT 2018 series YLE Gimmeyawallet
NHL GLOBAL SERIES 2018 Viaplay, Yellow
JUST BOYS 2018 BBC Original series
IN THE BELLY OF THE CITY 2017 doc series 1 episode ARTE Stefilm
ROAD TO RIO 2016 series YLE Yellow
MISSION IN HELSINKI 2015 series YLE Yellow
LIVE AT WE JAZZ 2014 series Youtube
THE CLIMATE GAME 2013 doc short Unikino
MY STUFF 2013 doc feature Unikino
Director
MY STUFF
(ORIG. TAVARATAIVAS) 2013
Petri's debut film is a very personal documentary recounting Luukkainen's one-year self experiment of deprivation and discovery where he took every single possession he had, put them all in storage and bought nothing more. He allowed himself to take back only one item per day. Film was theatrically distributed around the world, and it served the basis for the reality show (Life Stripped Bare, Channel 4) and was transformed into a fictional remake 100 THINGS (2018, dir. Florian David Fitz, Pantaleon & Warner Bros).
My Stuff Trailer on YouTube
100 THINGS Trailer on YouTube
From Virtual to reality, Just Boys is a six-part series about a group of sixteen and seventeen-year-old boys who found each other in the online gaming world but are yet to find their true selves. We are with them as they step outside their childhood homes to meet each other for the first time, interailing through Europe. Afflicted by mental health issues, loneliness, sexual identity and adolescence, the five British teenagers from different parts of the country and very different walks of life share just one thing; they all feel like outsiders.
Opened on BBC iPlayer in the Top10 in the opening week.
An entertaining science documentary series about a scientist Lauri Reuter and a top chef Henri Alen on a world tour to meet the weirdest minds in food technology and try to figure out what we should eat in the future. A series on the effects of global warming, with a focus on food and humour to keep you glued to the screen.
Even tough some challenging covid-time global shooting period and prodution, the series was awarded the Public Outreach Award 2022 ( Vuoden Sivistysteko ) and was sold to 55 countries in total.
5 x 29 | Co-production of YLE, SVT, DR, NRK and RUV
A humorous character portrait, were the meta story is: When you watch this documentary, we are making money out of it.
Film was funded by Finnish Film Foundation, AVEK and YLE.
short form | Unikino | not released by the broadcaster
A reactive short form documentary. In 2013 Petri read an article about climate change in the biggest newspaper in Finland and got angry on the angle of the article. The result: a short doc The Climate Game that was produced and released in 7 days. The release was using Youtube as a major media and the production company Unikino made a impact campaign to gain publicity for the topic. Short listed in global Action4Climate short film competition and featured in the WorldBank as Finlands presentation.
4x20min series + social media series on multiple platforms. Co-directed with partner in crime Jesse Jokinen.
YLE, ARTE
Music video
artist Timo Lassy
To show case "shot&directed" style, here's a music video for Timo Lassy shot in 2021.
Documentary and art installation Cinematography
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Alabaster DePlume project.
Co-directed with creative brother Juho Luukkainen.
Feature Documentary | Finland, UK
Web Series
Finland | Wejazz | Unikino
Season one, 2014 Youtube | Season two - Summer 2018
Social Media Project
Norway, Sweden & Finland
Initiator and producer of a social media video project that started in 2008. After many years and some weird DVD (yes, those things..) distributions, the project lives in the wild and in Instagram.
Works in progress as Director
Mark Farid project.
Documentary | UK | inquiries by email
Works in progress as Director
Hybrid Documentary | Germany, Finland | Kloos&Co;, Sons of Lumiere