Markku Tapani Pölönen (born 16 September 1957 in Eno) is a Finnish film director, screenwriter, editor and owner of film production company Suomen Filmiteollisuus. Pölönen's best known work is the 2004 film Dog Nail Clipper — directed and written by Pölönen — which was honoured with five awards at the 2005 Jussi Awards (Finland's premier film awards) including Best Direction and Best Script and which film critic Jay Weissberg from Variety called Pölönen's "most mature work to date". Pölönen has been awarded numerous additional Jussi awards, including best picture and best screenplay for Onnen Maa (1994); best picture and best director for Kivenpyörittäjän kylä (1995); and best picture, best director, and best screenplay for A Summer by the River (1999), plus many more Jussi awards for actors in Pölönen's films. Pölönen has further been nominated for at least two other Jussis that he did not win.