One of Finland’s finest and most internationally established filmmakers, Klaus Härö has come twice to Toronto before with Mother of Mine (2006) and One Last Deal (2019).

"I can hardly imagine a better forum for our film than the Toronto International Film Festival,” said Härö. "Though my films have premiered here before, this is nothing I take for granted. It’s a tough race and I am truly grateful for being able to attend. I look forward to the story, the actors and the beauty of our film to touch the audience as much as they have touched me,” he said.

The director who described My Sailor My Love as “his most emotional film since the multi-awarded Mother of Mine, had teamed up with the same writing partners, Jimmy Karlsson (script doctor on Boy from Heaven, Tove) and Kirsi Vikman (Bullets).

The film centres on Howard, a retired sailor and widower, who lives alone by the sea. When his adult daughter hires a carer for him, he initially rejects her company, but eventually opens his heart and gives his final love a chance.

The film about “the ability to give and receive love”, according to Härö, stars James Cosmo (Braveheart, The Pyramid Texts, The Name of the Rose), Catherine Walker (Dark Song, The Deceived) and Bríd Brennan (Dancing at Lughnasa, Brooklyn).

“The cast has been an immense joy, from the moment the roles were confirmed and when we first went on set,” said the director in a statement. I would often sit very close to the actors, and get to witness what goes into their work, which left me very impressed. Sometimes when I looked around, I could see the emotions brought to surface after a take. Someone might have tears in their eyes, or the crew might burst into applause after a scene. This isn’t very common on a movie set, and it might even seem unprofessional in a way. The atmosphere at the set has been exceptional and the actors left a very strong imprint on the whole crew,” said Härö.

The film entirely shot in Ireland, was produced by Kai Nordberg and Kaarle Aho, of Making Movies, with David Collins of Ireland’s Samson Film, in co-production with Belgium’s U-Media and support among others from Nordisk Film & TV Fond. The theatrical release in Finland via Nordisk Film is set for September 30, 2022.

World sales are handled by Global Screen.

Two other films backed by the Fund are heading off to Toronto’s Contemporary section, dedicated to 'unique stories by established filmmakers and talent with daring visions from all corners of the world'.

Norway will bring another sea-related story-the WW2 drama War Sailor by Gunnar Vikene. The film which opens the Norwegian Film Festival in Haugesund this Sunday, will have its international premiere in Toronto. It centres on two childhood friends, now working on a merchant ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean when WW2 breaks out. They struggle for survival, as German submarines can at any given time, attack the vessel loaded with weapons for the Allied Forces.

Vikene said he is thrilled to attend Toronto, “a perfect place" for the film’s international premiere, because Canada had its own large share of war sailors, and is featured in the film through the Norwegian hospital for sailors located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, he underlined.
The epic film produced by Mer Film is due to open in Norway September 23. Beta Cinema handles sales.

Also selected for the Contemporary section is Hlynur Pálmason’s Godland, which world premiered at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard last May. The film produced by Denmark’s Snowglobe with Iceland’s Join Motion Pictures is handled globally by New Europe Film Sales.
(See our interview with Hlynur Pálmason: CLICK HERE).

Toronto has selected several other Nordic films across its programme, including Triangle of Sadness and Holy Spider in the Special Presentations, Unruly by Danish rising director Malou Reymann, Jalmari Helander actioner Sisu screening at Midnight Madness, and Lars von Trier’s mini-series The Kingdom Exodus, selected for the festival’s Primetime programme.

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) runs from September 08-18.