At Sundance Film Festival In World Cinema Dramatic Competition: Girl Picture, produced by Elina Pohjola (Mediaproduction alumna 2002-2006)

For the first time ever, a Finnish feature film will screen in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. Girl Picture, by Alli Haapasalo, tells about three girls who meet at a party and about the relationships and first love that ensues.

Girl Picture is written by Daniela Hakulinen and Ilona Ahti and stars up-and-coming Linnea Leino, Aamu Milonoff and Eleonoora Kauhanen. It is produced by Leila Lyytikäinen and Elina Pohjola for Citizen Jane. The domestic premiere is on April 14, 2022.

https://festival.sundance.org/program/#film-info/61ae12f414aef781ba1c1386

Best friends Mimmi and Rönkkö work after school at a food court smoothie kiosk, frankly swapping stories of their frustrations and expectations regarding love and sex. Volatile misfit Mimmi, unexpectedly swept up in the thrill of a new romance with Emma (a driven skater training for the European championships), struggles to adjust to the trust and compromise required by a lasting relationship. Meanwhile, the offbeat, indefatigable Rönkkö hits the teen party scene, stumbling through a series of awkward encounters with members of the opposite sex while hoping to find her own version of satisfaction.

Girl Picture manifests its uninhibited characters’ youthful energy and smartly centers the chemistry between its three terrific leads. Within the film’s tender, funny exploration of the fears and confusions of discovering one’s identity and sexuality, a refreshingly positive portrait of the power of female friendship emerges. Writers Daniela Hakulinen and Ilona Ahti consistently present the film’s teen protagonists as complex individuals, while director Alli Haapasalo, rather than aestheticizing the girls’ femininity, vibrantly depicts their trials and tribulations through their own eyes.