Aino Suni: Last News

Marta Balaga Acclaimed cellist Lukas Stasevskij pursues his dream of cinema with documentary “My Ukraine,” currently in development and set to make a bow next week during film industry event Finnish Film Affair. The film is produced by Tero Tamminen (East Films) and Ilona Tolmunen (Made), also behind Aino Suni’s “Heartbeast,” recently snapped up by France’s Wayna Pitch. “When Lukas approached Tero Tamminen and then they called me, we were both immediately interested,” Tolmunen tells Variety, praising Stasevskij’s “universal” story about finding one’s identity and understanding the meaning of roots.

Alissa Simon Film CriticHelsinki-based helmer-writer Aino Suni makes her feature debut with “Heartbeast,” a queer love story with a dark twist about a Finnish teen whose mother moves her to France. It world premieres in Nordic competition at this year’s Göteborg Festival.What inspired the story?Suni: The documentary “Never Again” I made about Finnish rapper Mercedes Bentso definitely gave me a lot of inspiration. Mercedes Bentso, one of my closest friends today, uses rap as a way to express even the darkest emotions, fears, wants and the most forbidden fantasies, as does Elina, the protagonist of “Heartbeast.”It’s personally important for me to tell stories about queer people.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentGregoire Melin’s Kinology, the Paris-based company handling Leos Carax’s and Mia Hansen-Love’s next films, has added a string of ambitious new films from a mix of emerging and seasoned directors.Kinology has launched sales on “A Girl’s Room,” a stylish psychological thriller directed by Finnish up-and-coming helmer Aino Suni; “The Divide,” a stars-packed film by French director Catherine Corsini (“Three Worlds”); “Third Grade” by veteran director Jacques Doillon (“Ponette”); and “Morning Calm,” a director-driven sprawling thriller by Denis Dercourt.

Ed Meza @edmezavarParis-based Kinology has acquired world rights for Finnish director Aino Suni’s psychological thriller “A Girl’s Room.”Cannes-based Adastra Films is teaming on the project with Hamburg shingle and “System Crasher” producer Oma Inge Film and Helsinki-based Made.Suni’s feature debut follows Elina, a 17-year-old aspiring Finnish rapper forced to leave her home for the south of France after her mother finds a French boyfriend. There, she is drawn to her new stepsister Sofia, a charismatic ballet dancer who leads a double life.