From sound design to the Cannes red carpet – Working with a filmmaking idol on a Palme d’Or winner

Sitting in his studio on a gritty industrial estate in Helsinki, Pietu Korhonen tells us that this year’s festival was at least his fifth trip to Cannes. ‘It's completely over the top. The festival world is so different from everyday life in the film industry,’ he laughs.

‘The film gets a ten-minute standing ovation, you’re escorted through the Palais to a rooftop terrace, and on the way Mel Gibson comes over to shake your hand and congratulate you.’

He remembers feeling overwhelmed during his first visits to Cannes. ‘I kept wondering what on earth I was even doing there. I almost felt embarrassed.’

Korhonen’s first trip to Cannes was when he was studying at the former University of Art and Design Helsinki, now part of Aalto University. Those years – and much of his career as a sound designer – were shaped by another student who started film studies at the same time: director Juho Kuosmanen.

Follow the music

Before studying sound design, Korhonen completed a one-year vocational programme in radio and television production in Tuusula, in southern Finland. As a young man in his twenties, he found his way there through a combined passion for music and cinema.

‘I think almost everyone working with sound in film has some kind of musical background,’ he says.

During that year, he realised he had found a kind of work that came naturally to him. ‘I felt I really understood this work – and, more importantly, I genuinely enjoyed it.’ It was also in Tuusula that he discovered that film sound design could be studied at the university level in Finland. A fellow student encouraged him to apply.

‘I gave it a try and got in. I didn’t really know anything about the industry, and I didn’t have any contacts.’

Studying at the University of Art and Design quickly led to working on film productions. ‘I was lucky and found work straight away. I started as a trainee and assistant, met new people, and one job led to another.’

His first role on set was operating the boom microphone. He later progressed to production sound recording, taking responsibility for location sound. ‘Then the sound design work started coming in. First short films, and eventually feature films,’ he says.

A simple office scene, for example, may have captured only the actors’ dialogue during filming. ‘The footsteps, the rustle of clothing, an object placed on a desk – they’re all recreated afterwards by the sound team. The distant rumble of city traffic or a quiet conversation around the corner is also carefully constructed. Film sound is so much more than music.’

Learning from a master

After his studies, Korhonen joined the renowned Foley artist Heikki Kossi at H5 Film Sound, where he spent almost a decade as a sound editor and sound designer.

‘Working with Heikki, I contributed to a huge number of productions, mostly international films but also Finnish ones. I created sound effects for major productions, including Ad Astra, starring Brad Pitt. My professional skills developed enormously working with Heikki in the same studio.’

When Kossi moved to the United States, Korhonen bought the studio and established his own company, Usva Sound. Its first major sound design project was Aki Kaurismäki’s award-winning Fallen Leaves.

Fjord

Two years ago, Korhonen received a phone call from producer Jussi Rantamäki of Aamu Film Company. An international co-production was about to begin. Romanian director Cristian Mungiu would direct Fjord. Was he interested?

He quickly answered yes.

Mungiu’s films had profoundly influenced Korhonen’s own thinking about cinema ever since he first saw 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days almost twenty years earlier. ‘The sound design in that film completely blew me away. We watched and analysed it repeatedly with fellow students. Those of us specialising in sound especially admired how rich the soundtrack was while still feeling completely realistic.’ Being selected as Mungiu’s sound designer felt like a victory itself.

The Romanian director proved highly demanding. The finished film was half an hour longer than originally planned, and the workload was immense. ‘Cristian’s sense of humour and genuine kindness made the whole process much easier.’

According to Korhonen, Fjord was also the first international co-production of this scale for many of the Romanian crew.

International collaboration is not always as straightforward as online meetings might suggest. Romanian and Nordic filmmaking traditions differ in many ways. The team’s shared way of working finally emerged after filming had wrapped, when Korhonen travelled to Bucharest. There, he and the director rented a studio and spent weeks shaping the film’s soundtrack together.

The result is a drama set in Norway about a Romanian-Norwegian immigrant family whose life comes under the scrutiny of the country’s child welfare authorities. The film stars Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan, with costume design by Kirsi Gum. Fjord won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2026.

By the time Finnish audiences see the film in cinemas, Korhonen will already be immersed in his next international co-production. The working title is Dream Come True, and many familiar collaborators have reunited: director Juho Kuosmanen, producer Jussi Rantamäki, cinematographer J-P Passi, costume designer Kirsi Gum, and editor Jussi Rautaniemi.

• Also designed sound for international productions including The Swedish Torpedo (dir. Frida Kempff, 2024) and Olivia (dir. Sofía Petersen, Argentina, 2025). 
• Sound designer for the documentary Karaoke Paradise (dir. Einari Paakkanen, 2022). 

• Sound designer for Aleksi Salmenperä’s feature Isänpäivä (‘Father’s Day’, 2026) and the television series L/Over (2026). 

  Also...

• A former guitarist. As a teenager he became fascinated by electronic music. ‘It was so exciting when we got our first computer at home and I could spend hours making music on my own.’ He continued playing guitar into his twenties, but these days work leaves little time for the hobby. 
• A bit of a geek. ‘I can’t programme, but I’m comfortable with all kinds of technology. You don’t have to be a geek to work in a sound studio, but it definitely helps.’ 
• A supporter of Dutch football. It all began in 1989, when Finland played the Netherlands in a World Cup qualifier. ‘My dad took me to the Olympic Stadium. Since then, the Netherlands have been my favourite team alongside Finland.’ 
• Happiest in silence. ‘When I’m at home, I hardly ever play music. Walking in nature is wonderfully calming because I can simply let my ears rest.’

Text: Tiiu Pohjolainen 
Photos: Akseli Valmunen

This article has been published in the Aalto University Magazine issue 38, September 2026.