AFM Line-up 2020
GRACIOUS NIGHT
Directed by: Mika Kaurismäki
Original Title: Yö Armahtaa
Genres: Drama
Cast: Timo Torikka, Kari Heiskanen, Pertti Sveholm, Anu Sinisalo
Original Story: Mika Kaurismäki
Written by: Mika Kaurismäki, Sami Keski-Vähälä
Produced by: Mika Kaurismäki
Production Company: Marianna Filmi Oy
Production year: 2020
Release year: 2021
Country: Finland
Language: Finnish
Duration: 90 min
Subtitled Versions: English
Formats: DCP
Synopsis:
Kaurismäki’s Gracious Night tells the story of three men who bond over a long night of fine wine and intellectual discussion, on what could be the final night for a bar under serious financial pressure during lockdown. Despite being officially closed, Barman Heikki offers solace to his friend and frontline healthcare professional Risto who is passing in the night after a long and tragedy-filled shift. Suspicions are raised with the subsequent arrival of a stranger awaiting the birth of his grandchild, especially after radio reports of a murder in the area. But Heikki and Risto have their own internalised secrets to deal with and this most gracious night in a Helsinki Bar might just provide the therapeutic session they require.
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KIDS RUN
Directed by: Barbara Ott
Genres: Drama
Cast: Jannis Niewöhner, Lena Tronina, Eline Dienst, Giuseppe Bonvissuto, Sascha Geršak, Carol Schuler
Written by: Barbara Ott
Produced by: Gabriele Simon, Martin Heisler
Production Company: Flare Film GmbH, Storming Donkey Productions
Production year: 2020
Release year: 2020
Country: Germany
Language: German
Duration: 104 min
Subtitled Versions: English
Formats: DCP
Synopsis: Kids Run tells the story of a former boxer Andi Jovanovic – a formidably strong character being tested to the core as he attempts to keep custody of his three children and provide for them while struggling as a day labourer. Threatened with eviction, Andi turns to his ex-girlfriend Sonja – the mother of his youngest child Fiou and the true love of his life. But after Andi loses his job, Sonja insists he must return the money, or she will stop him seeing Fiou. Andi hopes his problems will be solved if he can win an amateur boxing competition with a monetary prize to pay off the debt and prove himself worthy of reconciliation with Sonja and Fiou.
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LADIES OF STEEL
Nominated for European Film Award for Best Comedy 2020
Directed by: Pamela Tola
Original Title: Teräsleidit
Genres: Comedy
Cast: Leena Uotila, Seela Sella, Saara Pakkasvirta
Written by: Pamela Tola, Aleksi Bardy
Produced by: Aleksi Bardy, Dome Karukoski, Sirkka Rautiainen
Production Company: Helsinki Filmi Oy
Production year: 2019
Release year: 2020
Country: Finland
Language: Finnish
Duration: 91 min
Subtitled Versions: English
Formats: DCP
Synopsis:
Inkeri, 75, after hitting her husband on the head with a frying pan, flees with her two sisters Raili and Sylvi. The journey through Finland is filled with charming hitchhikers, memories, and sinful dancing. When Inkeri comes across her old university writings and finds Eino, a crush from her youth, she is reminded of her dreams that were later suppressed by a patriarchal marriage. Inkeri has to make the biggest choice concerning the rest of her life, a choice between happiness and convention.
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MASTER CHENG
Directed by: Mika Kaurismäki (Elämältä kaiken sain, The Girl King, Tie pohjoiseen)
Original title: Mestari Cheng
Cast: Anna-Maija Tuokko (Yösyöttö, Puluboin ja Ponin leffa, Elämältä kaiken sain), Chu Pak Hong (My Prince Edward), Kari Väänänen (Fingerpori, Kiwi Christmas, Napapiirin sankarit 3), Lucas Hsuan, Vesa-Matti Loiri (Joulukalenteri: Porokuiskaajan arvoitus)
Written by: Original Screenplay: Hannu Oravisto, Adaptation by: Mika Kaurismäki, Sami Keski-Vähälä
Produced by: Mika Kaurismäki, Iain Brown, Chun Yi Yueh
Production company: Marianna Films, By Media, Han Ruan Yuan He
Production year: 2019
Release year: 2019
Country: Finland, UK, China
Language: English, Finnish
Duration: 114 min
Subtitled versions: English
Format: 4k
Synopsis:
Following the death of his wife, professional chef CHENG travels with his young son to a remote village in Finland to connect with an old Finnish friend he once met in Shanghai. Upon arrival, nobody in the village seems to know his friend but local café owner Sirkka offers him accommodation and in return Cheng helps her in the kitchen surprising the locals with the delights of Chinese cuisine. Gradually his cooking encourages these vastly different cultures to connect and Cheng is soon a celebrated member of the community. Unfortunately his tourist visa is soon to run out and it’s up to the villagers to come up with a plan to help him stay…
NUMBER 1 ARTHOUSE MOVIE IN GERMAY FOR FOUR WEEKS AND OVER 700k BOX OFFICE!
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MY LIFE AS A COMEDIAN
Directed by: Rojda Sekersöz (Dröm vidare)
Original title: En Komikers Uppväxt
Genres: Drama
Cast: Johan Rheborg (Solsidan, Keyyo med Rheborg i Ryssland), Loke Hellberg (Krig), Ulla Skoog (Fröken Frimans krig), Klara Zimmergren (Småstaden), Fredrik Hallgren (Leif & Billy, Bonusfamiljen), Maria Sid (Kaikki synnit), Jakob Eklund (Heder)
Written by: Jonas Gardell
Based on the Book by: Jonas Gardell
Produced by: Martin Persson
Production company: Anagram Sweden
Production year: 2019
Release year: 2019
Country: Sweden, Belgium
Language: Swedish
Duration: 92 mins
Subtitled versions: English
Synopsis:
Juha, 12, class clown in the suburb of Sävbyholm, Sweden. To be funny is the only thing he is good at and all he wants is to fit in the social peckingorder at school. As an adult, Juha has found success, performing the show – My Life As A Comedian - to sold out theatres where he tells the horrid and funny stories from his childhood to a delighted audience. When he gets an unexpected visit from an old friend from school, Juha is forced to return to Sävbyholm to deal with his past.
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PUNCH
Directed by: Welby Ings
Genres: Drama
Written by: Welby Ings
Cast: Tim Roth, Jordan Oosterhof, Conan Hayes
Produced by: Robin Murphy, Catherine Fitzgerald
Production Company: Robin Murphy Productions
Production year: 2020
Release year: 2021
Country: New Zealand
Language: English
Synopsis:
Jim is a seventeen-year-old boxer in a small town. He is a golden boy, preparing for a fight that will elevate him to an early professional status. All bets are on his climb to success. But his father Stan is a demanding coach and a notorious alcoholic. In the town Stan is treated like a joke but he has given everything to see his son gain professional status and escape the brutality of his small world. As Jim begins to rethink why he is fighting his life tangles with Whetu, a razor-tongued, gay Maori boy who spends his days in an old shack down by the beach. With his dog Moimoi he cobbles together a fragile glamour and dreams of leaving town to become a musician. As Jim stumbles towards discovering what it really is to be a gay man, he is forced to see that strength has little to do with heroism.
SCRIPT AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
TV SERIES
Rūrangi also includes an edited Feature Film Version
RŪRANGI
Directed by: Max Currie (Everything We Loved, Queer Nation)
Genres: Drama
Cast: Elz Carrad, Kirk Torrance, Āwhina Rose Henare Ashby, Arlo Green, Ramon Te Wake, Aroha Rawson, Renee Lyons, Renée Sheridan
Created by: Cole Meyers, Oliver Page
Series Writer: Cole Meyers
Produced by: Craig Gainsborough
Production Company: Autonomouse
Production year: 2019
Release year: 2020
Country: New Zealand
Language: English, Māori (Subtitled in English)
Duration: TV series 5 episodes x 19 min / Feature Film 96 min
Formats: HD
Synopsis: Burnt-out trans activist Caz Davis returns to Rūrangi, the rural dairy community he fled ten years ago, hoping to reconnect with his father, who hasn’t heard from him since before Caz transitioned. As father and son slowly reconcile, Caz finds himself swept up in the environmental fight which is dividing the town.
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For more information about the ways Rūrangi is breaking ground in New Zealand, please visit: Rūrangi - Our Kaupapa
BETWEEN US
Original Title: Mellom Oss
Created by: Ole Marius Araldsen, Nicolai Cleve Broch
Directed by: Eigil Langmark (Hæsjtægg), Charlotte Sachs Bostrup (Mercur, Kartellet)
Genres: Warm Dramedy
Cast: Nicolai Cleve Broch (Harajuku, Beforeigners), Agnes Kittelsen, Lærke Winther, Johannes Nymark
Written by: Ole Marius Araldsen, Marie Hafting, Anna Neye, Patrik Syversen, Jesper Sund, Tone Mygind Rostbøll
Produced by: Ole Marius Araldsen, Anne Kolbjørnsen
Production company: Anagram Norway
Production year: 2019
Country: Norway, Denmark
Language: Norwegian, Danish
Duration: 8 episodes x 40 mins
Subtitled versions: English
Format: TV Series
Synopsis:
Life consists mostly of everyday life and it is easy to forget to care for love. Between Us is a warm dramedy about two couples, their four perspectives, their trust and lack of trust in their relationships, and how even miniscule details end up having major consequences in their lives.
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THE CHOSEN ONES
Directed by: Liza Morberg, Christian Hallman, Stina Hammar
Genres: Sci-Fi, Thriller
Cast: Felice Jankell, Frida Gustavsson, Amy Deasismont, Tind Soneby, Loa Ek, Segal Mohamed, Astrid Morberg, Isabella Touma Pettersson, Bill Hugg, Thomas Chaanhing, Amanda Ooms
Written by: Leif Alexis and Henrik Lilliér
Produced by: Erik Magnusson
Production Company: Anagram Sverige AB
Production year: 2020
Release year: 2020
Country: Sweden
Language: Swedish
Duration: 6 x 18 mins
Synopsis:
Twelve girls wake up in a secluded mansion, without knowing how or why they got there. As they realize they are locked in, the situation in the house threatens to escalate. But the mansion also harbours a dark secret. The girls are part of a medical experiment and if they don’t manage to escape they will die, one by one.
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SNIP, SNAP, SNUT & THE SQUARES
Directed by: Cecilia Actis & Mia Hulterstam
Genres: Children’s Animation
Cast: Sanna Persson Halapi
Written by: Cecilia Actis & Mia Hulterstam
Produced by: Emma Åkesdotter Ronge
Production Company: Anagram Sverige AB
Production year: 2019-2020
Release year: 2020
Country: Sweden
Language: No Language
Duration: 10 x 4 mins / Feature version 30 mins
Formats: HD
Synopsis:
In a colorful fantastic world live the mischievous friends Snip, Snap and Snut. They live a wonderful life among trees full of cinnamon buns and balloons. But there is also the boring Squares who want to ban everything that’s fun. An animated TV series for a very young audience.
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