A Film about Armi Ratia (1912–1979) starts shooting today. Armi Alive! tells a story about a theatre company that is rehearsing a play about Armi Ratia. Lead by the main character (Minna Haapkylä) who plays Armi, they ask who this remarkable woman really was?
Ratia is one of the best known Finnish entrepreneurs and corporate executives. She created the iconic design company Marimekko and its pure visual style that is synonymous to modern Finnish design.
The film is directed by Jörn Donner (born in 1933), who has had a distinguished career as a film director, film producer, writer, and politician. Donner’s film A Sunday in September (1963) received the Prize for best directorial debut at the Venice Film Festival, and after that, he has directed several fictional films and documentaries. Donner’s most famous films include Portraits of Women (1970) and Fuck Off! Images from Finland (1971). He has also won the Academy Award as the only Finn for a film produced by him and directed by Ingmar Bergman: Fanny and Alexander (1982).
Armi Alive! will have its theatrical release in Finland in Spring 2015.