Toni Kurkimäki, the director of film Lapua 1976, is SeAMK's Alumnus of the Year 2023
Toni Kurkimäki has been chosen as the Alumnus of the Year 2023 of the Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences. Kurkimäki studied in the group of the first people who studied in the field of culture at SeAMK in 2002–2006. After graduating, he has worked in a variety of jobs in the cultural fields. Kurkimäki left his strong handprint to the cultural year of both South Ostrobothnia and the whole of Finland by directing the film Lapua 1976, which premiered at the beginning of September and has already gathered around 170,000 viewers.
The film project challenged long-term development
The film Lapua 1976 was also a big subject for its director personally. In the production itself, the first challenge was getting the financing together. Both Kurkimäki and the rest of the film’s core team believed in making it, which in addition to Kurkimäki includes Pekka Pohjoispää, and Tuukka Haapamäki, the screenwriter of the Lapua 1976 film and a fellow student from the SeAMK days, as well as Mikko Jokipii, the event producer. Together, they founded the production company Blankface, with which the film was realised.
“You have to know how to work with people and lead in such a way that people get involved and enthusiasm spreads to the whole group. Here at SeAMK, it was always a good feeling to do things both as a student and as an employee, so let’s keep the same direction in the future – it’s nice to study and work here”, Kurkimäki praises.
SeAMK congratulates the Alumnus of the Year 2023 and the entire Blankface film production team!
The criteria for SeAMK’s Alumnus of the Year are:
- Graduated from the degree programme at SeAMK
- Does meaningful work in his/her field
- Contributes to the interaction between working life and higher education
- Brings out SeAMK and SeAMK-spirit in a positive way
A special criterion that changes every year, which can be considered an advantage in the selection:
- In 2023: active development
- Active development means that a person has planned and implemented measures related to the development of an area or community
Image: Annemari Keltamäki / SeAMK