Elian Mikkola
they/them
Job title
filmmaker   director   editor   media artist  
Identity categories
Click for help Learn more about these categories
trans   nonbinary   transmasc   queer   of Karelian descent   white settler   Finnish  
Places of practice

Canada

Québec, Canada

Saskatchewan, Canada

Montreal, Québec, Canada

Montreal, Québec, Canada

Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Years active

2016-

Metadata
Biography

Elian Mikkola is a Finnish Moving Image Artist (of Karelian descent), and a white settler currently based between Treaty 4, Regina, and Montréal (Tiohtià:ke), Canada. Originally from Turku, Finland, Mikkola holds a BA in Journalism from Tampere University and completed their MFA in Media Production in 2019 at the University of Regina. Mikkola works closely with both analogue and digital images and explores themes such as memory, spatial dependencies and queer belonging. They’ve done extensive research in the field of eco-processed film since 2017. Mikkola’s experimental work has been showcased in several film festivals in Canada and internationally. Mikkola has also showcased their Expanded Cinema work internationally in diverse exhibition environments.

Information contributed by the artist to the TMP

Elian Mikkola has been making films and moving image art since 2016. Their work has been showcased in several film festivals in Canada and internationally. Their debut film SAARI (2016) was selected to TIFF's Canada's Top Ten Film Festival student program in 2017. Mikkola received the Creative Vision Award as a part of the AE Film Festival in 2016. Their latest film Magdaleena premiered at International Film Festival Rotterdam in January 2020. Originally from Turku, Finland, Mikkola holds a BA in Journalism from Tampere University. They completed their MFA in Media Production in 2019 at the University of Regina. Mikkola's work explores themes such as memory, spacial dependences and queer belonging. Mikkola is a part of La Lumière Collective based in Montréal and a current board member of the Queer City Cinema.

Elian Mikkola. “B I O,” March 29, 2020. https://elianmikkola.com/home/bio/.
Filmography
  • A silhouette of a person with short hair and a beanie hat looking through a vintage polaroid camera. The film title is placed on the bottom right. The background is a blue projection of waters. There are streaks of blue light leak effects over the poster emulating the digital recording technology. In the top right it says, "Official selection tiff Canada's top ten film selection 2017." There are several award logos at the top of the poster.

    SAARI

    film/video, 2016

    Editor, Cinematographer/Director of Photography, Writer/Screenwriter/Story, Director

  • A black screen that has a vertical video aspect ratio in the center. On this vertical frame, there are two peep hole like vignettes in a diagonal. The top vignette shows a rainy window focusing on an exposed lightbulb hanging in front of a window along with leaves hanging from a plant pot. The second vignette shows another hanging exposed light bulb at night that eminates a red glow to the room.

    ARIES

    film/video, 2020

    Director

  • The poster is features a drawing of an old tape recorder. On the left half of the poster, the recorder is drawn in a muddy pastel pink in front of a navy blue background. On the right half of the poster, these colors are inverted, with the recorder being drawn in navy blue and the background in muddy pastel pink. Above the recorder is the film's title, "Magdaleena," drawn in muddy pastel pink on the left side of the inversion and navy blue on the right side of the inversion, just like the tape recorder. Also in muddy pastel pink are a series of award badges which appear on the right side of the poster, and the text "A film by Elian Mikkola," which adorns the bottom left corner of the tape recorder. The only break in the color scheme is a square button at the centre of the tape recorder, which is electric blue on the left side and orange on the right side.

    Magdaleena

    film/video, 2020

    Director

  • A digitally distorted image showing multiple stills colliding together. In the background, there's a dense forest with glimpses of clear blue skies peeking through heavy branches. A walking figure, wearing brown plaid work pants and gloves, is visible amidst the distortion. The figure appears partially doubled in an abstract manner, with vivid green and red colors. The bottom half of the image overlays a sepia-toned image of a lake.

    Via Karelia

    film/video, 2021

    Director

  • A close up of a light-skinned child gazing toward the ground. They appear from the shoulders up, have short dark hair, and are wearing a collared shirt with overalls. They are outside in front of bushes and a staircase.

    MAN MADE

    film/video, 2022

    Director, Editor, Visual Effects Artist

References
Stockholm, Trans Fest. “Full Programme – TRANS FILM FEST 2023.” Trans Fest Stockholm (blog), March 20, 2023. https://transfeststockholm.org/2023/03/20/full-programme-trans-film-fest-2023/. Information contributed by the artist to the TMP