The Girl King
Director: Mika Kaurismaki // Writer: Michel Marc Bouchardt
Finnish director Mika Kaurismaki, brother of famed auteur Aki Kaurismaki, has often resided in the shadows of his sibling. Directing a steady output of films since the late 1980s, he doesn’t seem to snag international distribution, but his latest is a profile international co-production, The Girl King, penned by award winning Canadian writer Bouchard. German and Swedish backers also explain the presence of names like Nyqvist and Gedeck, plus throw in some French faces, such as Hippolyte Girardot. Swedish actress Malin Buska will bear the brunt of expectation, as the film revisits the tale of Swedish Queen Christina, portrayed famously in 1933 by Greta Garbo in the Rouben Mammoulien directed film. Here’s to openly being able to discuss her sexuality in this version, famously coded in the Garbo picture often championed as one of the first defiant examples of acknowledged homosexuality in the cinema.
Cast: Malin Buska, Sarah Gadon, Martina Gedeck, Michael Nyqvist, Laura Birn
Producers: Marianna Films’ Mika Kaurismaki, Triptych Media, Galafilm, Starhause Filmproduktion, Anagram
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available.
Release Date: Considering the subject matter and high profile names involved, we’re assuming that Kaurismaki will be gunning for a worthy platform. Toronto seems to be a festival that often programs his films, but a premiere in Berlin could be likely.
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