Saara Elina
- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Born to a family of classical musicians, Saara Elina (Saara Elina Kilpinen) was drawn to the stage, initially studying to become a ballerina.
After graduating from the Ballet School of the Finnish National Opera and Ballet, she quickly left ballet behind and turned into acting, hungry to learn more about the work. After two failed attempts to get into a drama school, she got accepted to study acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York.
Theatre studies in the heart of Manhattan were filled with refreshing sensations on and off campus. She studied with Barbara Rubin, Jackie Solotar, Dino Scopas and Jackie Bartone, among others, ranging from contemporary work to the classics. Saara Elina graduated from AADA in 2010, and began her acting career at the Big Apple. From 2010 to 2012 she acted in several wildly experimental Off-Off-Broadway productions in New York. Like a classical case be, the profound theatre work nourished her working palate, but not the actual palate. Penniless in Brooklyn and struggling to make ends meet, Saara Elina returned to Europe at the end of 2012.
Back in Finland, Saara Elina got her film career jump-started by working in independent film. She landed her first supporting role in Sami Pöyry's Punainen kohina (2021) in 2014. Little by little she began working in more mainstream productions, as well as the "indies". After what she calls a vivid decade in the industry, Saara Elina's latest lead role playing Sofia in 'Johannes ei kulje Jämsän kautta (2023)' directed by Joonas Makkonen led to a nomination at the 2024 Finnish Jussi-Awards for the best breakthrough performance. Next Saara Elina can be seen in Firemonkey's TV-series 'Deception (2024)' as well as Sami Pöyry's feature film Hetket ennen hämärää.
After graduating from the Ballet School of the Finnish National Opera and Ballet, she quickly left ballet behind and turned into acting, hungry to learn more about the work. After two failed attempts to get into a drama school, she got accepted to study acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York.
Theatre studies in the heart of Manhattan were filled with refreshing sensations on and off campus. She studied with Barbara Rubin, Jackie Solotar, Dino Scopas and Jackie Bartone, among others, ranging from contemporary work to the classics. Saara Elina graduated from AADA in 2010, and began her acting career at the Big Apple. From 2010 to 2012 she acted in several wildly experimental Off-Off-Broadway productions in New York. Like a classical case be, the profound theatre work nourished her working palate, but not the actual palate. Penniless in Brooklyn and struggling to make ends meet, Saara Elina returned to Europe at the end of 2012.
Back in Finland, Saara Elina got her film career jump-started by working in independent film. She landed her first supporting role in Sami Pöyry's Punainen kohina (2021) in 2014. Little by little she began working in more mainstream productions, as well as the "indies". After what she calls a vivid decade in the industry, Saara Elina's latest lead role playing Sofia in 'Johannes ei kulje Jämsän kautta (2023)' directed by Joonas Makkonen led to a nomination at the 2024 Finnish Jussi-Awards for the best breakthrough performance. Next Saara Elina can be seen in Firemonkey's TV-series 'Deception (2024)' as well as Sami Pöyry's feature film Hetket ennen hämärää.
