The Institute will organise a screening of the film Tove (2020) at Rio Cinema on 21 June at 6 pm. The screening is followed by a live Q&A with the film’s producer Andrea Reuter and intimacy coordinator Pia Rickman. The film is subtitled.

Synopsis:

The formative decade in the life of Tove Jansson, artist, writer and creator of the Moomins – the round and hippo-like comic strip characters and pop cultural icons loved by generations of children and adults alike – is wondrously recreated in a beautifully beguiling biopic.

Helsinki, 1944. The end of the war brings a new sense of artistic and social freedom for painter Tove Jansson who has been struggling to emerge from the shadow of her renowned sculptor father and his dismissal of her work. Tove’s need to stretch her wings creatively and find her own way takes an unexpected turn when she meets theatre director Vivica Bandler. A passionate and all-consuming love affair ensues despite her existing relationship with a married left-wing politician. Life becomes exhilarating and confusing and painful and amazing. However…

TOVE is a lyrical, romantic and illuminating look at the life a remarkable woman with Alma Pöysti’s luminously subtle and layered performance capturing both the complexities and essence of the artist and her work.

Tove film screening and Q&A, 21 June at 6 pm. Rio Cinema, 107 Kingsland High Street, London E8 2PB. Tickets £10, concession £7,50. Book here. The venue is wheelchair accessible. For further accessibility information, visit the Rio Cinema’s accessibility page.

The event is organised by the Finnish Institute in the UK and Ireland with the support of the Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland.