Risto Orko

Who was Risto Orko?

Risto Eliel William Orko was a Finnish film producer and director.

With a career of over 60 years at the film studio Suomi-Filmi, Orko rose to be head of production and chief director in the 1930s. He became its CEO in 1945. In the 1940s, 50s and 60s, Suomi-Filmi produced hundreds of films and numerous shorts.

In the years 1933-43, Orko directed many films, including two, which were banned for being "overly patriotic". He also had a joint cooperation with the German film industry during World War II. Orko also directed a Finnish-Soviet co-production, released into the American market with subtitles, entitled The Day the Earth Froze in 1959.

His death at age 102 was received with great sadness in his native Finland and he was thereafter known as the "last Finnish Film Tycoon".