Jari Olavi Rantala is an experienced screenwriter working for film and television. He was awarded the Jussi-prize for best screenplay for Frozen Land in 2005.

Rantala has collaborated with the award winning director Aku Louhimies on five films, including a new film version of Väinö Linna's epic war novel Unknown Soldier. It was very successful in Finland with over million spectators.

Rantala is a co-creator and writer of a Nordic Noir series Deadwind released worldwide on Netflix.

Rantala has written on many genres ranging from period pieces to crime thrillers and family films.

Rantala is also an author. A making-of -book from the shoot of Unknown Soldier came out October 2018 and was published by WSOY. He has also published fiction including a crime novel and a collection of short stories.

Rantala has studied film theory and literature in the University of Turku and Helsinki. He has served in the Finnish Army and is an active officer in reserve. He has worked also as a TV director, an editor and a film critic.