British Council Logo UK Films Database
Project Detail

Tom of Finland

Synopsis

In post-WW II Finland, homosexuals were officially classified as mentally ill, weak and feminine. Conducting any homosexual act or producing homosexual material was illegal. Gay men were beaten by the police, thrown in jail like criminals and often sent to asylums for “treatment”. In the middle of it all was one man, quietly using his talent in an inhospitable societal environment, fantasizing about a different world through the tip of an artist’s pen: Touko Laaksonen, to be iconically known across the globe by his nom de guerre, Tom of Finland. Tom of Finland began secretly creating a completely new variety of homoerotic art for gay men. Proud, healthy and über-masculine. His work was sexually liberated. Totally shameless. Gleefully and aggressively trouncing the norm. His art fanned the flames of a revolution, emboldening a new generation of homosexuals to stand up and celebrate what they were: Men.

Details

Year
2017
Type of project
Features
Format
Digital
Director
Dome Karukoski
Producer
Aleksi Bardy, Miia Haavisto, Annika Sucksdorff
Co-Producer
Mike Downey, Sam Taylor, Gunnar Carlsson, Sophie Mahlo, Miriam Nørgaard, Malin Söderlund, Ingvar Þórðarson
Executive Producer
Dome Karukoski
Editor
Harri Ylönen
Screenwriter
Aleksi Bardy
Director of Photography
Lasse Frank Johannessen
Production Designer
Christian Olander
Sound
Robert Leib, Tobias Rönnertz
Principal cast
Werner Daehn, Jessica Grabowsky, Jimmy Shaw

Genre

LGBTQIA+ Drama

Categories

Fiction

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, UK coproduction

A Helsinki Filmi Oy (FI), Anagram (SE), Fridthjof Film (DK), Neutrinos Productions (DE), Film Väst (SE) production in association with in Film and Music Entertainment F&ME (UK)

Film & Music Entertainment Ltd. (F&ME)

Unit 25
Archer Street Studios
10/11 Archer Street
London W1D 7AZ

Sales Company

Protagonist Pictures

Dave Bishop, Mike Goodridge
42-48 Great Portland St
London
W1W 7NB

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

Suggest amendments

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

Tolkien Tolkien

Director: Dome Karukoski

Year: 2019

Exploring the formative years of the orphaned author J.R.R. Tolkien as he finds friendship, love and artistic inspiration among a fellow group of outcasts at school. This takes him into the outbreak of World War I, which threatens to tear the “fellowship” apart. All of these experiences would inspire Tolkien to write his famous Middle-earth novels.

Drama
Wild Horse Nine Wild Horse Nine

Director: Martin McDonagh

Year: 2026

CIA agents Chris and Lee face a trust-testing mission from Santiago to Easter Island during 1973 Chile.

Crime / Mystery Drama Thriller
Go Away! Go Away!

Director: Ed Kear, Cringo Williamson

Year: 2026

Deadbeat lodger Kyle Burden's life spirals out of control when a mishap with a bailiff and his landlord's home viewings endanger his illegal cannabis operation.

Comedy Crime / Mystery