Department of Film (ELO)

Department of Film (ELO)

Filming. Image by Unto Rautio.

Department of Film (ELO)

The Department of Film, ELO, is the only university-level film school in Finland. It is a vital combination of innovative art academy and an active, practice-based and artistic research unit. It teaches all aspects of filmmaking and performance design as separate skill sets. Our faculty consists of international-level practicing filmmakers, scenographers and researchers.

We value our 60-year-long tradition but at the same time actively explore future challenges and emerging technologies. The department works closely with the audiovisual industry, theatre, and emerging contemporary groups in performing arts.

Education draws on artistic and pedagogical traditions, passing it on creatively and developing new forms of expression. During the education students are familiarized with artistic processes, team work, historical and critical thinking, observations and interpretations of reality. This knowledge is applied in practical exercises and student film productions.

The department's research brings new understanding of the forms of expression and production processes in cinematic and scenographic art and opens paths to international research. The research orientation is based on a fruitful dialogue between theory and practice.

Contact Information

Research

The Department of Film has offered filmmakers and production designers the opportunity to pursue doctoral studies for nearly 30 years. The department's doctoral program equips students to integrate theoretical, practical, and artistic thinking through their own research questions.

The aim of the research is to generate new understanding of the expressive tools and creative processes in film and production design. This understanding allows for the uncovering, reassessment, alteration, and development of the underlying assumptions embedded in established working methods and solutions. In addition to the research component, doctoral degrees may include one or more practical productions.

Studies

The programmes and major subjects at the School of Arts, Design and Architecture provide high quality teaching in a diverse and student-centred manner. Our school began implementing a reform of bachelor's and master's degrees in September 2014.

The new degree structures offer students the opportunity for more in-depth studies in their own major or a field of their master's programme, or to utilise Aalto University's multidisciplinary course offering in minor subjects and elective studies. Our school offers a wide variety of minors, many of which are carried out in cooperation with other Aalto University schools. Students can also apply for minor studies at other Finnish universities through JOO studies, or complete part of their studies during an international exchange.

For more info on our Master's programmes:

School of Arts, Design and Architecture

One of the most prestigious universities in its fields. We educate our students to create imaginative, collaborative, compassionate and unconventional approaches to the most pressing challenges of today.

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News

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Awards and Recognition Published:

Sherwan Haji’s My Name is Hope has won the 2025 Jussi Award for Best Short Film

My Name is Hope is director-screenwriter-actor Sherwan Hajin’s master’s thesis film from the Department of Film at Aalto University.
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Awards and Recognition, Research & Art Published:

Alum of the Year Anna Brotkin: “We need modern stories about our era”

Screenwriter Anna Brotkin is the Alum of the Year 2026 of the School of Arts, Design and Architecture. She believes in the power of locality and the importance of hope in times of crisis.
Johanna Wartio, Susanna Helke and Ilkka Matila Aalto University.
Cooperation, Research & Art Published:

What drives success in the film and audiovisual industries? New research to support growth and competitiveness

Aalto University Department of Film is leading a €1.6 million Co-Innovation research project, SmartSuccessAV, funded by Business Finland. The project aims to gain new research-based knowledge on how success in the Film and AV industry is managed and how decision-making is structured as production, financing, and distribution structures change.
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Research & Art Published:

Training available in AI, research data management, research ethics + more – register now!

New topics included! Registrations for spring 2026 are open.

Events

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Lectures and seminars, Staff trainings, IT & digital tools, Support for teams, Training to support research
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Lectures and seminars, Staff trainings, IT & digital tools, Support for teams, Training to support research, Workshops

Marsio Presents, 15 April 2026: Creative Teaching in the Age of AI

Marsio Presents: Creative Teaching in the Age of AI is a morning event for Aalto educators interested in how AI is reshaping pedagogy. Hear short, concrete cases from colleagues on using AI in teaching, assessment, and course design. Join to gain practical ideas, discuss ethical questions, and reflect together on what meaningful teaching looks like in the age of AI.
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Conferences

Enough! Aesthetic Politics in a Finite World (external link)

The symposium addresses a pressing cultural question: if the ecological crisis demands that societies rethink endless economic growth, how might the arts also transition toward more ecologically sustainable and socially equitable fo
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Lectures and seminars, Staff trainings, IT & digital tools, Support for teams, Training to support research

Exhibitions

Seaweed installation byt Julia Lohman

School of Arts, Design and Architecture - Exhibitions

Find course and MA exhibitions in galleries and exhibition spaces in School of Arts, Design and Architecture, as well as Marsio. Welcome!

Visit the School of Arts, Design and Architecture

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Visit the School of Arts, Design and Architecture

Information for visitors and guests

Aalto ARTS Handbook
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Aalto ARTS Handbook

The Aalto ARTS Handbook provides information, instructions and tips on issues related to communications and community.

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