Tove directed by Zaida Bergroth , is Finland’s 2021 Oscar entry. Tove is also screened online this weekend at the Scandinavian Film Festival LA.

In the midst of her artistic struggles and unconventional personal life, Tove Jansson found worldwide success from an unexpected side project: the creation of the beloved world of the Moomins.

Helsinki, 1945. The end of the war brings a new sense of artistic and social freedom for painter Tove Jansson. Tove’s desire for liberty is put to the test when she meets theatre director Vivica Bandler. Her love for Vivica is electric and all-consuming. As she struggles with her personal life, her creative endeavours take her in an unexpected direction. While focusing her artistic dreams on her painting, the work that started as a side project, the melancholic, haunting tales she told scared children in bomb shelters, rapidly takes on a life of its own. The exploits of the Moomins, infused with inspiration from her own life, bring Tove international fame and financial freedom. TOVE is a captivating drama about the creative energy of an iconic talent and her turbulent search for identity, desire and freedom.

To learn more about making of Tove, we had a ZOOM interview with Zaida Bergroth, director of the film:

Director – Zaida Bergroth
Born in 1977, Zaida Bergroth is a well-known Finnish director and screenwriter. Her films include “Maria’s Paradise” (2019) about the orphan Salome, the servant and devout follower of Maria Akerblom, a charismatic sect leader, “Miami” (2017), which follows two sisters as they embark on a road trip to pay off their debts. In 2009, her film “Skavabölen Pojat” (“Last Cowboy Standing”) won the Best Debut award at the Pusan Film Festival, as well as receiving the Finnish national Jussi awards for Best Screenplay and Best Sound Design. Her film “Hyvä Poika” (“The Good Son”) won several awards at international film festivals in 2011, such as the Chicago Film Festival, Prague Film Festival / Febiofest, and the Mons International Love Film Festival. It also picked up 7 Jussi nominations and a nomination for the prestigious Nordic Council Film Prize. She has also directed multiple shorts, two of which won awards at Tampere Festival in 2014.

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Bijan (Hassan) Tehrani Founder and Editor in Chief of Cinema Without Borders, is a film director, writer, and a film critic, his first article appeared in a weekly film publication in Iran 45 years ago. Bijan founded Cinema Without Borders, an online publication dedicated to promotion of international cinema in the US and around the globe, eighteen years ago and still works as its editor in chief. Bijan is has also been a columnist and film critic for the Iranian monthly film related medias for 45 years and during the past 5 years he has been a permanent columnist and film reviewer for Film Emrooz (Film Today), a popular Iranian monthly print film magazine. Bijan has won several awards in international film festivals and book fairs for his short films and children's books as well as for his services to the international cinema. Bijan is a member of Iranian Film Writers Critics Society and International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI). He is also an 82nd Golden Globe Awards voter.

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