“Tom of Finland” Biopic Expands Its Reach

Finland's 2018 Academy Award submission for best foreign film, "Tom of Finland," a well-made, if rather tame, biopic of the legendary gay artist, has been held over for longer regional runs in theaters in New York, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco.

And starting November 3rd, moviegoers can see the Finnish production (with English subtitles) across the United States in the following cities:

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Harkins Valley Art – Tempe, AZ – November 3, 2017
Classic Gateway 4 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – November 3, 2017
Cinema 21 – Portland, OR – November 3,  2017
Tower – Salt Lake City, UT – November 10, 2017
Parkway Theatre – Baltimore, MD – November 24, 2017

Landmark Ritz at the Bourse – Philadelphia, PA – November 24, 2017
Landmark Chez Artiste – Denver, CO – December 1, 2017
Angelika Film Center (Dallas) – Dallas, TX – December 1, 2017
Landmark E Street Cinema – Washington, DC – December 8, 2017
Landmark Midtown Art Cinema – Atlanta, GA – December 8, 2017
Landmark Lagoon Cinema – Minneapolis, MN – December 8, 2017
Landmark Kendall Square Cinema – Boston, MA – December 15, 2017

The film stars Pekka Strang as Touko Laaksonen, a Finnish soldier in World War II who dreams of being an artist, Lauri Tilkanen, a handsome thirty-something dancer, and Jessica Grabowsky as his sexually-frustrated sister who also draws but doesn't believe she's any good. Anyone sensing love triangle? Just sayin'.

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"Tom of Finland" was an official selection at Outfest and the TriBeCa International Film Festival, amongst other film festivals worldwide.

Both the director, Dome Karukoski, and lead actor are straight, yet sensitively bring to life the controversial and sexually provocative artist who became known the world over, especially to horny young gay men, as Tom of Finland. The influential power of ToF's drawings are brought to life in a heartfelt, amusing sequence in the middle of the film. Let's just say an American gay teen wants to look and live like Kake, one of the artist's most famous characters, and does everything he can to make it happen.

Karukoski is currently directing "Tolkien," a biopic of yet another artist, "The Lord of The Rings" and "The Hobbit" author J.R.R. Tolkien.

Running Time: 114 Minutes/ Language: Finnish With English Subtitles

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