Masterclass: Anna Eriksson

Singer and filmmaker Anna Eriksson’s career is truly without parallel. The versatile artist first entered the public eye as a teenager through MTV Finland’s Kiitorata singing competition in 1995, and by the age of thirty had already released seven studio albums. Songs such as Kun katsoit minuun, Kaikista kasvoista and Juliet ja Joonatan have become enduring classics of Finnish pop music.

The 2010 album Garden of Love, followed by the Teosto Prize-winning Mana, marked a shift towards a darker and more singular artistic expression. At the same time, Eriksson began to assume ever greater creative control over her work—a development that culminates in her filmmaking. Eriksson produces, directs, writes, edits, costumes, designs, performs and composes her works herself.

Over the past decade, Eriksson has emerged as one of the most distinctive voices in Finnish cinema. Her formally daring and challenging films have screened at festivals including Venice and Locarno. M (2018), W (2022) and E (2025) form a trilogy in which the ghost of Marilyn Monroe, the crisis of European civilisation, simulacra and disappearing futures become entangled with one another.

In her Masterclass, Eriksson reflects on her career and her work as a filmmaker. The screening includes music videos she has directed for herself and for Stam1na, as well as excerpts from her films. In addition, Eriksson has selected two music videos that have inspired her. The choices are as surprising as the artist herself.