Markku Heikkinen is a Finnish film director, writer, and producer. He is best known for his work on the 2014 feature film Concrete Night. Born in 1974, Heikkinen grew up in the small town of Juva in eastern Finland. He graduated from the University of Tampere with a degree in film and television in 1999.
Heikkinen began his career as a film director in 2000, when he wrote and directed the short film The Same Old Story. After a few more short films, he made his feature debut in 2006 with the drama The Other Side of Hope. The film was critically acclaimed and won numerous awards including the Best Film Award at the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2014, Heikkinen released his most successful film to date, Concrete Night. The film was an adaptation of the novel of the same name and stars Juhani Niemelä and Pirkka-Pekka Petelius. The film follows the story of Simo, a troubled teen on the brink of adulthood, and his relationship with his older brother Ilkka. The film was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and won multiple awards at film festivals around the world.
Heikkinen has also written and directed several television series, including the crime drama series Bordertown. The series, which stars Ville Virtanen and Anu Sinisalo, follows the life of a police detective in a small Finnish town. The series was extremely popular in Finland and spawned two subsequent seasons.
In addition to his film and television work, Heikkinen is also a prolific theater director. He has written and directed several plays, including the award-winning play The Wild Man. He is also the artistic director of the Finnish National Theatre.
Heikkinen continues to work steadily in the film and television industry, writing and directing both feature films and television series. He is considered one of the most talented and respected filmmakers in Finland and his work has been praised both domestically and internationally.
