The Espoo Ciné 2024 program has been released! The Finnish Gala Première is Butterflies by Jenni Toivoniemi, and the festival will conclude with Lee by Ellen Kuras.
There's Still Tomorrow is the debut film of Italian director Paola Cortellesi, which has garnered even more viewers in its home country than last year's film sensation Barbie.
This drama, stylishly honoring the traditions of Italian neorealism, is set in the late 1940s. Its main character is Delia, a mother of three children teetering on the edge of subsistence, who is kept tightly under her husband's control. Her daughter Marcella is about to marry the son of a wealthy café owner, but Delia can already see that her future will be no better than her own.
Unexpectedly, Delia receives a letter that causes a profound upheaval in her. Could the letter be the key to something bigger, like gender equality and women's liberation? Directed by and starring Cortellesi herself, this film delves deep into the female experience.
The opening film will be screened on Friday, 23 August, simultaneously in two locations: at 6:00 PM at Kino Tapiola and at 6:30 PM at Louhisali.
Finnish Gala Première: Butterflies
This year's domestic gala film is Jenni Toivoniemi's hilarious comedy Butterflies. In the film, a minister's senior advisor, Siiri (Aksa Korttila), finds herself horrified to be spending a work weekend in her former hometown of Seinäjoki. Staying in her ex-hometown would already be difficult enough, but the concurrent tango festival Tangomarkkinat certainly doesn't make things any easier.
Butterflies will be shown on Wednesday, 28 August, at 7:00 PM in Louhisali.
Closing Film: Lee
The festival will conclude with Ellen Kuras's film Lee. In the film, Kate Winslet throws herself into the role of the daring photographer Lee Miller, who captured the devastation, triumphs, and indescribable horrors of World War II through her camera lens.
Lee, which opened the Toronto International Film Festival, is Kuras's directorial debut. It is not only a beautiful depiction of supportive partnerships but also a welcome counterbalance to films about great men.
Lee will be shown on the final day of the festival, Sunday, 1 September, at 8:00 PM in Louhisali.
You can explore the entire program here. The entire Espoo Ciné will be held from 23 August to 1 September. See you at the movies!
