Shoes

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Gender

Female

Birthday

1982-09-30

Place of Birth

Helsinki, Finland

Pihla Viitala

Biography

She studied acting at the Helsinki Theatre Academy and began her career in the late 2000s with feature films such as Ganes (2007) and Tears of April (Käsky, 2008). In 2010, she was named one of Europe's Shooting Stars at the Berlin International Film Festival. She subsequently developed an international career, notably appearing in the American fantasy action film Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013) and the Italian comedy-drama Latin Lover (2015). On television, she achieved widespread international recognition for her leading role as Detective Sofia Karppi in the crime drama series Deadwind (Karppi, 2018–2021), a performance that earned her the Kultainen Venla Award for Best Actress. She has also featured in the drama series Arctic Circle (Ivalo) and Cold Courage (2020). In cinema, she portrayed the title role in the historical drama Maria's Paradise (Marian paratiisi, 2019).

Known for

Deadwind

Deadwind

When Sofia Karppi, a detective in her 30's who is trying to get over her husband's death, discovers the body of a young woman on a construction site, she triggers a chain of events that threatens to destroy her life again.

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters

After getting a taste for blood as children, Hansel and Gretel have become the ultimate vigilantes, hell-bent on retribution. Now, unbeknownst to them, Hansel and Gretel have become the hunted, and must face an evil far greater than witches... their past.

Arctic Circle

Arctic Circle

During a routine search of an old cabin in the remote and wintery back country, Finnish policewoman, Nina Kautsalo, discovers two dead prostitutes, with a third still fighting for her life. The ensuing investigation takes a surprise twist when an extremely rare and deadly virus is discovered in the surviving woman’s bloodwork. When the Finnish Bureau of Investigation takes over the case, German virologist, Thomas Lorenz is called in to assist in identifying and containing the virus. Set within the endless white expanse of the arctic circle, Nina and Thomas must rely on each other to have any hope of saving the ones they love. But what takes precedence? A deadly virus or an active serial killer?

Cold Courage

Cold Courage

Two young Finnish women in London are drawn inexorably together via the Studio - a clandestine group dedicated to bringing justice to those beyond the law. But, as their battle against exploitation, violence and corporate greed intensifies, will the Studio's ends continue to justify its means?

Isolated

Isolated

An idyllic island in the Finnish Archipelago is suddenly cut off from outside world, as a mysterious force takes over. Without food, electricity or safety, the islanders are faced with their deepest fears. What will you do to survive?

Latin Lover

Latin Lover

The five daughters of a famous actor, all from different mothers and different nationalities, get together on the 10th anniversary of his death for a celebration of his career.

Virta

Virta

Honeybunnies

Honeybunnies

A private detective engages in a sexually-charged relationship with a real estate broker.

Hellfjord

Hellfjord

"Hellfjord" is the story of the urban police officer Salmander - second generation Pakistani immigrant - who, after somewhat accidentally killing his police horse in front of thousands of children, gets relocated to the location farthest north in Norway: Hellfjord. Hellfjord is archetypical small Norwegian hick village, populated by simple-minded people keenly interested in keeping to themselves. But when Salmander scratches the surface, he discovers a secret that will turn Hellfjord upside down. Maybe even inside out.

Suojelijat

Suojelijat

Black Widows

Black Widows

Black Widows is a series about 3 ordinary women, friendship and an impossible secret.

Vinski 2

Vinski 2

The town of Hömpstad is once again under threat from criminals and Vinski's help is needed. When the criminals manage to steal the invisibility powder for themselves, Vinski has a real showdown on his hands.

Hustlers

Hustlers

The director Lauri Nurkse tells that Veijarit is a film about "arjensietokyvyttömyys" (= inability to tolerate everyday life) and about the Peter Pan complex. The main actor Mikko Leppilampi says it's about "kolkyttoistavuotiaat" (= thirtyeenagers = people of thirty behaving like teenagers). An immediate reference point is the commedia all'italiana of the 1950s and the 1960s, the black comedy often exposing the infantile stage of development of the Italian male. Saku and Ässä are anti-heroes, but we never fail to sense the humanity behind their shallow and crazy ways. Veijarit is a satire and a parody of a superficial way of life, but there is a vitality in the protagonists that we feel can lead them to a more meaningful stage of existence after the prolonged youth full of sound and fury. There is a motif of transcendence in the imagery of flying: will the balloons carry me or will they burst.

Off Key

Off Key

Dramatic comedy about having fun, throwing yourself into life without inhibition, overcoming the feeling of shame and accepting that few things in life go as planned.

Therapy

Therapy

Therapist Leena and her soon-to-be ex-husband Pekka run a relationship camp in the midst of their own painful break-up. The participants are all very different: an actor who has lost himself and his memory, his spouse, a police officer who cannot let go of his loved one, and a couple whose open relationship is not quite as open as they think. Through surprising twists, painful encounters, and humor, the campers discover new perspectives on each other—and themselves. Perhaps not everything can be fixed, but there is still much to learn.