The Nordic & Baltic Oscar Contenders series at Scandinavia House returns this season with screenings of films chosen by the Nordic & Baltic countries to compete for the Oscar nomination for the Best International Feature Film! On November 15, see the film Girl Picture /Tytöt tytöt tytöt (dir. Alli Haapasalo, Finland, 2022), Finland’s official nomination for the 95th Academy Awards. Director Alli Haapasalo will present a virtual film Q&A in coordination with the screening; check back here for more details soon.

In this coming-of-age dramedy from the director of Force of Habit and Love & Fury, best friends Mimmi and Rönkkö have each other’s backs, always, aspiring for adventurous lives filled with experiences and passion. Emma, on the contrary, has given her whole life to figure skating — nothing gets between her and success. But when the girls meet, life opens new paths that send them rocketing in new directions. While Mimmi and Emma find themselves experiencing the earth-moving effects of true love, Rönkkö is on a quest to find pleasure. As new bonds form and others are tested over the course of three successive Fridays, the girls must navigate the complex paths of teenage desire.

“Haapasalo clearly understands that, when you’re young, desire can feel confusing or gratifying, thrilling or overwhelming…an affecting achievement that never feels less than loving”—The Film Stage

This screening will take place in-person at Scandinavia House in Victor Borge Hall.

Supported by the Consulate General of Finland in New York.

About the Director

Alli Haapasalo (b. 1977) is a Finnish director and writer. With her third feature film Girl Picture she continues her passion to tell strong female driven stories. Haapasalo’s feature debut Love and Fury (2016) followed a writer finding her own voice. Force of Habit (2019) – written and directed by a collective of seven writer-directors – dealt with gender bias and structural misuse of power. It traveled the world bringing home some awards and received Jussi-nominations (Finnish Film Awards) for best film, best directing and best screenplay, and was given the Nordisk Film Award in 2020.

Haapasalo wrote and directed short film Doing the Right Thing (2020) about the early stages of covid-19 pandemic for HBO Nordic’s series At Home. She has also directed episodes for spy thriller series Shadowlines (2019). Alli Haapasalo has a BA from Aalto University’s School of Film, Television and Scenography, and an MFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.