Toronto International Film Festival has just announced this year's official selection, and we are excited to share that Malou Reymann's feature UNRULY has been selected for the Discovery section at the 47th Toronto International Film Festival's edition, where it will also have its world premiere (8-12 September 2022).
Copenhagen, 4 August 2022 – Toronto International Film Festival has just announced its official selection which includes UNRULY, a film about the notorious women's institution on the island of Sprogø in Denmark, directed by Malou Reymann. The film which has been selected for the Discovery section will also have its world premiere at the prestigious festival.
UNRULY is the sophomore feature of talented director Malou Reymann, who comments on the selection:
‘I’m super excited that UNRULY will premiere at TIFF! UNRULY deals with a dark chapter in Danish history where the state would send women who did not conform with society’s expectations of them to an isolated island for years and then sterilise them. Sadly, it has become so relevant again in 2022 to talk about the way even western societies want to control women’s bodies. But the beauty of making a film about womanhood is that however hard one tries to suppress and repress female strength it will find ways to survive. That is where I found hope in this brutal story and now, I can’t wait for the film to meet an international audience in Toronto!'
Reymann's debut feature film A PERFECTLY NORMAL FAMILY (2020) won the Big Screen Award at Rotterdam International Film Festival in 2020 and was subsequently selected for various internatonals festivals, here among Goteborg Film Festival 2020 and Danish Film Awards 2021.
Managing Director of TrustNordisk, Susan Wendt, adds:
'We are happy and excited that the film is selected for Toronto International Film Festival. This is a wonderful recognition where the film and story will get the attention it really deserves. We congratulate both Malou and the whole team behind UNRULY with this great achievement.'
UNRULY features an exciting cast of talented up-and-comings, including Emilie Kroyer Koppel (COLLISION, 2019; YOU DISAPPEAR, 2017) and Jessica Dinnage (THE RAIN, 2019; THE GUILTY, 2018) in the lead cast, with Dinnage reuniting with the director after A PERFECTLY NORMAL FAMILY (2020). The cast also features established actress Lena Maria Christensen (DELIVER US, 2019) and EFP Shooting Star-winner Danica Curic (THE KINGDOM EXODUS, 2022; MURINA, 2021).
Synopsis
MAREN, a strong-minded young woman, is seen by authorities to be il-mannered and promiscuous. Concerned her unruly behavior will incite others, she is sent away to an women’s institution on the small island of Sprogø. Here she is to learn how to behave as a proper young woman. She must share a room with SØRINE who has already internalized the story about herself and has learned to behave properly. Sørine is to help Maren settle in Sprogø and help her change her behavior, but Maren’s refusal to comply with the system leads to terrible consequences for both. The film is inspired by actual events of the women’s institution of Sprogø in Denmark in the 1930’s.
UNRULY is directed by Malou Reymann and written by Malou Reymann and Sara Isabella Jønsson and produced by Matilda Appelin for Nordisk Film Production A/S. The film is co-produced by Nordisk Film Production Sverige AS with support from Danish Film Institute, Swedish Film Institute and DR.
The release date for UNRULY is yet to be announced.
