Born in 1943, Helsinki, Finland. He currently works as a professor of film history at the University of Art and Design in Helsinki. He has written around 20 books about film. He is also the head editor of the Filmihullu magazine. He had previously worked as the head of the Finnish Film Archive and had directed the Bolognese film festival Il Cinema Ritrovato for nine years running. He was a member of the jury in the competition of 2004 Cannes Film Festival.