THE TEAM

Tanja Rusi // Co-Founder

Tanja is a producer, writer and Head of Development Onerva Pictures, based in London. Before co-founding Onerva Pictures in 2019, Tanja enjoyed a successful career in publishing, where she specialised in creating branded video content for leading editorial brands such as WIRED, Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, GQ and ELLE in the UK. Her passion for literature, history and bold journalism continues to inspire her work today.

Tanja is currently working on several TV series as a co-creator and producer. She also continues to collaborate with filmmakers Ben and Jack Wylson of The Big Sky in the documentary space. Tanja was a Line Producer on the 2022 Sundance and Berlinale premiering documentary BRAINWASHED: SEX-CAMERA-POWER. She has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from the University of Arts London, in Communication Design, specialising in moving image.

“The A-team was my favourite TV show as a kid growing up in New York. Each member of the team was a completely unique personality and very different, but together they were unstoppable. That, in a nutshell, is my inspiration for successful filmmaking: Pick the most talented, creative and diverse people as possible, challenge each other, inspire each other, bring your own ideas to the table and most of all, have fun.” –TR

For slate enquiries, please contact tanja@onerva.pictures.

Inka Rusi // Co-Founder

Inka Rusi is a film director, producer and writer who co-founded Onerva Pictures in 2019. In 2017, she received a Fulbright fellowship to pursue a graduate degree in film directing at California Institute of the Arts. Inka’s short film BIND was selected to the prestigious CAA Moebius Showcase in 2021.

Inka was creative producer on the feature documentary BRAINWASHED: SEX-CAMERA-POWER, executive produced by Tim Disney and Abigail Disney, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2022 and went on to screen at festivals such as Berlinale, CPH:DOX, The BFI Film Festival and IDFA. Before studying directing Inka worked on productions such as Game of Thrones (HBO) as well as on commercial productions. Inka is currently in filming her feature length documentary film about sugar daters in Finland with Finland’s Public Broadcaster YLE attached.

“I'm absolutely fascinated by the messiness of the human experience. Give me stories that shove our prejudices in our faces, make us squirm a bit, and force us to rethink our values. I’m after that sweet spot where we find slivers of humanity even in the absolute darkest moments.” – IR

Inka is a member of SELO, the Director’s Guild of Finland and SUNKLO, the Writer’s Guild of Finland.

Katja Jokinen // Producer

Katja has a wealth of experience in film and video production in the Nordic countries and Europe. A true producer’s producer, Katja brings her resilience and problem-solving skills to every project she is involved in. 

Before joining Onerva, Katja founded and managed the award-winning production company Kennel Helsinki (2007-2018) and then joined one of the most reputable commercial film production companies in Finland, GRILLIFILMS. She enjoys nurturing new talent as much as working with the best and most experienced directors in the industry.

Katja graduated from The University of Tampere with a Bachelor of Arts in Film Production and worked as a freelancer in Finnish TV production companies before starting her career in commercial production. She is now excited to re-enter film and TV production at Onerva Pictures.

"I like the fact that the business is in constant turmoil. It offers endless opportunities for diverse projects and gives me a front-row seat to meet interesting new people and learn". –KJ

THE STORY OF ONERVA

ONERVA is an old Finnish name that is meaningful to us. It references two very different, pioneering women who have both been an inspiration:

AILI ONERVA HUTTUNEN (né Putus 1912-1995) was our maternal grandmother. She was born in Vyborg (Viipuri), which is now a part of Russia. She was a professional English teacher, talented sportswoman and mother of five children. Her family became internally displaced during World War II, losing all their property in Karelia, which was annexed by Russia. Yet, Aili and her husband Martti rebuilt their lives from scratch and went on to have a good and full life. When she retired from teaching, Aili became a talented photographer, carefully documenting the natural world around her.

HILJA ONERVA LEHTINEN (1882-1972), or L.Onerva as she was widely known, was a Finnish poet and novelist. In her works, Onerva often dealt with the tension between freedom and commitment in women’s lives. This tension, we feel, is still present in women’s lives today and we continue to seek ways to resolve it. Onerva was a radical author who had the courage to critique conventional morality. She emphasized the individual's right to act freely and make choices independently. Her works were contentious among her contemporaries, but they were also successful: she received seven prestigious state literature prizes, for example. Yet, she is remembered more for her complicated relationship with the famous poet Eino Leino and her marriage to the composer Leevi Madetoja.

– Inka Rusi & Tanja Rusi

COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIPS

Co-founders Inka Rusi and Tanja Rusi also collaborate on commerical work under RUSI & RUSI. Both are also avaible individually - Tanja as an experienced creative director based in London and Inka as a director based in London and Helsinki.

VIEW PREVIOUS COMMERCIAL WORK AT RUSI & RUSI.

Katja Jokinen also works as a commercial producer at GRILLIFILMS.