Screening: Girl Picture

The Nordic Film Club is dedicating its October edition to Finnish cinema with the film Girl Picture (2022), directed by Alli Haapasalo. Reflecting the themes of the film, this screening is being organized as part of the International Day of the Girl, in collaboration with the Embassy of Finland, which is taking part in the Girls Takeover campaign. Girls Takeover is a global initiative led by Plan International, in which young girls take on high-level leadership positions for a day. On this occasion, a young girl will be welcomed as an “ambassador for a day.”

Girl Picture follows three young women, Mimmi, Rönkkö and Emma, on the threshold of adulthood. Best friends Mimmi and Rönkkö support each other unconditionally and dream of a life full of adventure, experiences and passion. Emma, meanwhile, has devoted her life to figure skating and achievement. When their paths cross, new possibilities open up for them. Between first loves, desire, pleasure, friendship and the search for self-discovery, their lives take unexpected turns. Three Fridays are enough to turn their world upside down.

Winner of several awards in Finland and internationally, Girl Picture received four Jussi Awards in 2023, including Best Film and Best Director. In 2022, it also received the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival and was selected as Finland’s official entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.

Through the journeys of these three young women, Alli Haapasalo offers a free-spirited and positive perspective on youth, desire and sexuality. As the director explains, the film invites us to “look at girls with fresh eyes and, above all, to truly see them.”