My reality TV series “Paluumuuttajat” was broadcast on Yle TV2 in 2012. It tells the stories of five families, all returning to their home province of North Karelia in search of the “simpler” life. This award-winning series was made from the heart – and not just because North Karelia is also my home province in Finland. The 10-part series of documentaries has been one of the most repeated programmes by Yle and has also been broadcast in Sweden and Norway so far.
I received the regional “Antti” media award for the series, for showing North Karelia and its people in a positive light throughout. I was most honoured to be given this award as I came up with the idea for the series through reading regional newspaper stories about people relocating from the busy capital city area to the countryside.
In 2017, five years since Paluumuuttajat was first broadcast, the story of how the series was made, was turned into an exhibition.