Art as a place of refuge

Among the films featuring in the Valletta Film Festival main competition today is Tom of Finland. The 2017 Finnish production, directed by Dome Karukoski, follows Touko Laaksonen (Pelka Strang), a decorated officer, who returns home after a harrowing and heroic experience serving his country in World War II. Life in Finland during peacetime proves equally distressing. He finds post-war Helsinki rampant with homophobic persecution and men around him even being pressured to marry women and have children. Touko finds refuge in his liberating art, specialising in homoerotic drawings of muscular men, free of inhibitions. His work – made famous by his signature ‘Tom of Finland’ – became the emblem of a generation of men and fanned the flames of a gay revolution. The film is showing at Pjazza Teatru Rjal at 9pm. Among other categories, the special screenings section is presenting the Japanese film Radiance about a passionate writer of film versions for the visually impaired who meets an older photographer who is slowly losing his eyesight. It is showing at Herbert Ganado Gardens at 9pm. For more information and tickets, visit www.vallettafilmfestival.com. Festival passes, allowing...