Sami Kieksi

Sami Kieksi
Kieksi at the Golden Venla Awards, 2020
Born1990 (age 34–35)
Finspång, Sweden
Occupations
  • Director
  • producer
  • screenwriter
Years active2016–present
Notable work
  • Logged In
  • Most Wanted: Teen Hacker
AwardsGolden Venla (2020)

Sami Tapani Kieksi (born 1990) is a Finnish producer, director, and screenwriter. He is best known documentary series, including Logged In (2020) and Veitola.doc (2022–2023). Kieksi has been recognized with several national awards in Finland, including the prestigious Golden Venla. In September 2021, he received the State Award for Public Information, granted by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture.

Early life

Kieksi was born in 1990.[1] He grew up in the Torne Valley in Norbotten, and comes from a Sweden Finn background. He characterized his childhood as challenging, and was exposed to violence, substance abuse, mental health problems, and neglect.[2] He noted that many of the young protagonists in his documentaries come from similarly fractured backgrounds.[3]

Career

Before his directing career, Kieksi worked as a stage actor at the Tampere Theatre and the Tampere Workers' Theatre between 2009 and 2010.[4]

Kieksi first gained national attention with the documentary series Some Deep Story, which premiered on Yle Areena in August 2016. The series explores themes of loneliness, bullying, and poverty among Finnish youth.[5]

In 2020, Kieksi directed and produced Logged In, a five-part documentary series for Yleisradio (Yle), which follows five young Finnish men who turn to online gaming as a means of coping with everyday challenges. The series generated significant public discussion in Finland, particularly around topics such as social exclusion, youth mental health, and digital identity.[6] Kieksi has expressed a desire to avoid using the term “marginalized,” instead aiming to portray individuals through their own lived experiences.[7]

In 2025, Yleisradio (Yle), released KIEKSI – Look Where You Cannot See, a six-episode documentary series named after Kieksi.[8] The series examines contemporary social issues through the lens of Finnish youth, blending personal narratives with broader societal commentary.[9]

On September 5, 2025, HBO Max will premiere Most Wanted: Teen Hacker, an international four-part documentary series written and directed by Kieksi. The series recounts the true story of a Finnish teenager, Aleksanteri Kivimäki, who was once named by the FBI as one of the most dangerous hackers in the world.[10]

Filmmaking credits

Year(s) Title Episodes Role Publisher
2016–2022 Some Deep Story 25 Producer, director, writer Yleisradio
2020 Logged In 5 Producer, director, writer Yleisradio
2020 Toimettomat 5 Producer, director, writer Yleisradio
2021 Pilluralli – itsenäistymisen vuosi 3 Producer, director, writer Yleisradio
2021 Peter Nygård: Behind the Mask[11] 4 Director, writer Discovery+
2021 On Hold[12] 4 Producer, director, writer Yleisradio
2022 Tapaus Aarnio[13] 4 Director, writer Discovery+
2022 Logged In Special 1 Producer, director, writer Yleisradio
2022–2023 Veitola.doc[14] 4 Director, writer MTV3
2023 Matti Nykänen – Elämä on laiffii[15] 6 Producer, director, writer MTV3
2024 Tsunami – Return to Paradise[16] 4 Director, writer Nelonen
2024 Homeless – The Long Way Home[17] 5 Producer, writer Yleisradio
2025 KIEKSI – Look Where You Cannot See[18] 6 Producer, director, writer Yleisradio
2025 Most Wanted: Teen Hacker[19] 4 Director, writer HBO Max

Awards

  • Golden Venla Awards (2020): Logged In – Best Current Affairs Programme[20] and Best New Programme[21]
  • State Award for Public Information (2021): For amplifying the voices of marginalized people through documentary storytelling.[22]

References

  1. ^ "Ny dokumentärserie om Matti Nykänen: Därför tvättade han sin bil flera gånger varje dag". Hufvudstadsbladet (in Swedish). 2023-10-27. Retrieved 2025-07-20.
  2. ^ Riit'aho, Anni; Ojala, Tuomas (2023-03-10). "Rankan lapsuuden elänyt dokumentaristi Sami Kieksi ammentaa työhönsä omasta menneisyydestään - Sveriges Radio Finska". Sveriges Radio (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-07-20.
  3. ^ "Youth | Sami Kieksi has experienced the pivotal moment that can lead a young person to social exclusion – That's why he chose to help, and now he understands why a young person lying at home irritates so many". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 2020-03-20. Retrieved 2025-07-14.
  4. ^ Rautanen, Sari (2020-04-18). "Sami Kieksi, 30, the creator of a critically acclaimed hit series, has supported himself since the age of 16: "My childhood was what it was" – Now the Tampere-born director has documented the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on young people". Aamulehti (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-07-14.
  5. ^ "TV Review | Sami Kieksi has once again found a touching subject: young men's body image pressures". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 2022-11-14. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  6. ^ Väänänen, Jukka (2020-03-18). "Logged in is a short documentary series about marginalized men". Apu360 (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  7. ^ "TV Review | Gaming is a lifeline, "the only thing I'm good at" – Logged In is a powerful documentary series about marginalized young men". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 2020-02-04. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  8. ^ "Sami Kieksi's new documentary series delves into painfully topical issues in the lives of young people". yle.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  9. ^ Ventelä, Anne (2024-11-29). ""In Finland, you have to cope on your own," says documentary filmmaker Sami Kieksi, who himself had a difficult childhood. | Image". Apu360 (in Finnish). Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  10. ^ "Max Original Documentary Series MOST WANTED: TEEN HACKER Debuts This September". Pressroom. 2025-06-06. Retrieved 2025-07-14.
  11. ^ "New domestic documentary on Peter Nygård added to Discovery+". Discovery Finland. 10 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  12. ^ "Domestic documentary series on young Afghan men persecuted by the Taliban". Yleisradio. 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  13. ^ "The story of Jari Aarnio exclusively on Discovery+". Discovery Finland press site. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  14. ^ "Maria Veitola dives into provocative and contradictory themes in Veitola.doc". MTV Uutiset. 29 November 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  15. ^ "On TV Today | The Portrait of Matti Nykänen Is a Dive into the Turmoil of the Finnish Man". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 2023-11-09. Retrieved 2025-07-14.
  16. ^ "New documentary revisits survivors and rescuers 20 years after the Southeast Asia tsunami". Nelonen.fi. 20 May 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  17. ^ "Homeless – The Long Way Home follows the unvarnished reality of homeless youth". STT Info. 9 November 2024. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  18. ^ "New series Kieksi explores urgent youth issues". Yleisradio. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  19. ^ "Elon Musk, PlayStation Hacker Subject of New Max Documentary Series, Teaser Unveiled". Variety. 6 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  20. ^ "Winners 2020". Televisioakatemia ry. 28 May 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  21. ^ "13 Golden Venlas to Yle productions". Yleisradio. 28 May 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  22. ^ "State Awards for Public Information 2021". Ministry of Education and Culture. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
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