Petri's work

Petri comes from a small town in Finland, but he moved to Helsinki when he was young to study film making. Making films has been his dream since he was a young boy

“I’d always record on our VCR every tv show that was shown in the evening after my bed time. Then I'd get up early in the morning to watch them before going to school. I was very often late to classes as I got lost in the shows”

Petri has his own production company and works in advertisement, but he felt pulled towards documentary making. He had been making a video diary for some years, when he realised that he kept going in circles: His life was not fulfilling, and all the stuff around him was closing in on him, distracting him and making him feel empty. This is where the making of the documentary ‘My stuff’ began. The film is about his one year experiment of finding out what things and how much stuff is enough, what too little and what too much. And on the way, he discovered that most stuff is really not that important and happiness is not defined by having the exactly correct amount of the right things, but of course about people and love and a number of other non-things.

“When I got the idea to do this, it was November, and I started the project in January, the coldest time of the year.  I just couldn't wait once the decision had been made. It was only when I started packing up my whole apartment that the rules got clearer on how I would spend my next year. I really had no idea what would come out of this" 

As a filmmaker, Petri realises the potential impact he can have while at the same time changing his own life. Working in advertising opens up many opportunities to work with sustainability oriented clients and even influencing the less conscious ones. And who knows what his next documentary will be about?

"It doesn't have to be hard, for me the change was more playful and adventurous than it was hard and stupid

Trailer of Petri’s film with English subtitles
My Stuff main page
My Stuff’s facebook page