Biography
Sissi Mattos is a filmmaker and co-founder of the nomad production company Strangerless Media, where she works as a director, cinematographer, and editor. Originally from a quiet village in Finland, her lifelong fascination with moving images began with a VHS camcorder, filming music videos, short fiction, and everyday life with friends. That early spark evolved into a deep commitment to real-life storytelling and documentary film.
Mattos studied in Austria, Finland, the U.S., Italy, and Poland, and later pursued documentary film directing studies at Aalto University of Art and Design in Helsinki. She holds a Master's degree in Intercultural Communication and a Bachelor's degree in Social and Cultural Studies, shaping her interest in stories that reveal the intricacies of human behavior and societal norms.
Sissi Mattos is the creator and screenwriter of Sohvasurffaajat (Yle), a television series inspired by her original idea, which won the KOURA award for Best Weekly Non-Fiction Program in 2012. She is especially drawn to character-driven documentaries that explore life choices, challenge societal expectations, and foster cultural understanding. Mattos has also worked as a video reporter in news, filming and editing on tight deadlines, and has taken on roles as field producer and story producer for established Finnish production companies.
Having lived in 10 countries, including working in Mozambique, Paraguay, Argentina, Colombia, and Brazil, and fluent in seven languages, Mattos brings a distinctly international and human-centered lens to her work. For Mattos, film is both education and communication-a way to explore the world and connect across social and cultural boundaries.
