22/01/2014 - Finnish cinematographer-producer Petri Rossi becomes the foundation’s new head of production and development – Swedish management expert Frida Westerberg takes over as coo at Svensk Filmindustri

Finnish cinematographer and producer Petri Rossi has returned to the Finnish Film Foundation, where he was film commissioner between 2000-2005, now as Head of Production and Development, to succeed Petri Kemppinen, who has become managing director of the Oslo-based Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

Rossi has shot almost 25 films, most recently Finnish director Sakaja Kirvainen’s war drama Silence (2011), which he also executive produced (and for which he was awarded a Jussi, the Finnish national film prize). He was associate producer on Joonas Berghåll and Mika Hotakainen’s Jussi-winning documentary, Steam of Life [+see also:
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film profile] (2010), and most recently produced Katja Gauriloff’s documentary, Canned Dreams (2012).

“I myself started my career in film back even before the age of video, and have experienced the whole digital revolution. Technology is constantly evolving and, consequently, the world is shrinking faster than we could have ever hoped for. But the basics remain the same: people telling stories to people about people,” said Rossi.

In another move, Swedish major, Svensk Filmindustri, has appointed Frida Westerberg chief operating officer for the new Establishment and Research divisions within the company, as well as the existing Finance and Production departments, reporting directly to Svensk topper Jonas Fors.

Westerberg, who has worked in the investment banking division for Goldman Sachs in London, New York and Stockholm, has been in different positions in the Bonnier Group (the owner of Svensk) since 2006, most recently as vice president of corporate development and mergers & acquisitions.

“Her experience will most certainly add to the company’s future activities – Svensk is currently in a phase of reorganisation and strengthening of the company’s Nordic and international activities, with the ambition to meet the new challenges the business is facing such as attracting and keeping talent and international investors,” Fors explained.