Directed by Jörn Donner (Finland, 2015). Armi Alive!/Armi elää! follows a theatre group preparing to stage a play about the life of Marimekko’s founder, Armi Ratia. Leading up to the play, the theater group bombards Maria, who is playing the lead role of Armi, with questions about who this strange woman really was.The play focuses on the years from 1949 to 1968, as she founds the textile and clothing company Marimekko, leads it to an international success, and is finally forced to ponder her relationship with the company:
Does Marimekko need Armi, or does Armi need Marimekko? During the rehearsal process, Maria struggles with Armi’s contradictions and tries to find the truth and the person behind the legend.
84 min. | In Finnish with English subtitles.
Special thanks to the Finnish Film Foundation and Bufo Productions.
About the director
Jörn Donner (b. 1933) has had a distinguished career as a film director, producer, writer, and politician. His works have influenced Finnish society for almost half a century and he continues to work as one of the most controversial personalities in the Finnish cultural field. He made his directorial debut in 1963 with A Sunday in September/En söndag I september. Following his debut he continued to work in film, primarily as a producer. Donner’s most famous films include Portraits of Women/Naisenkuvia (1970) and the documentary Fuck Off! Images from Finland/Perkele! Kuvia Suomesta (1971).
Internationally, Donner is best known as the producer of Ingmar Bergman’s film Fanny and Alexander/Fanny och Alexander (1982). In 1984, the movie won a total of four Academy Awards including the award for Best Foreign Language Film, making him the only Finn to win an Oscar to date.
Donner is also a prolific writer and has written several novels. In 1985 he was awarded the Finlandia Prize in Literature for his novel Father and Son. He has also contributed columns to many of the leading Finnish newspapers
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Image by Lasse Lecklin
FRI- 2-12-16 – 6:30 PM
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