Mari Storstein’s My First Love selected for First Feature Competition in Tallinn
Mari Storstein’s feature-length debut My First Love (Min første kjærlighet) is selected for this year’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, where it is to receive its world premiere as part of the First Features Competition.
Introducing Marie Flaatten and Niels Skåber, My First Love also stars Jan Gunnar Røise (Sex, Mr. K, Lilyhammer (TV)) and Silje Breivik (Dreams, 22 July, The Wave). The film is produced by Thomas Robsahm (The Worst Person in The World and the European Film Awards-shortlisted Loveable), whose Dancing Queen in Hollywood is also presented in Tallinn as part of the Just Film Children’s programme.
MY FIRST LOVE SYNOPSIS
When 19-year-old wheelchair-bound Ella sets off for university, she is unexpectedly placed in an institution rather than a flat of her own, further complicating her life with mobility struggles and making it impossible to live a normal student’s life. At the same time, she falls in love for the first time. My First Love is a raw and compelling drama based on real events.
MARI STORSTEIN ABOUT HER FILM
My First Love is the film I wish I had seen when I was a kid. As a disabled woman of 38, I've never seen myself on the screen. Countless stories have been told about this theme, but never from this perspective.
When disabled people occasionally get screen time, the often one-dimensional and stereotypical representation makes me feel a knot in my stomach. This is because the narrative is almost always told by others, not us, and is based on myths and internalised prejudices. The danger of this is that the narrative becomes the truth about us. It's not enough that the stories are told about us: the stories about us must be told by us.
So why not just tell a love story? Why this resistance, why the bureaucracy? Leaving out that part of the story would be a misrepresentation because when you are disabled, the oppression and barriers are such a significant part of life. That's the truth and that's what we should tell.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Mari Storstein (b. 1986) graduated from The TV School at Lillehammer University College where she focused on untold stories. Her award-winning works include student films and the documentary Letter for Jens (TV2, 2011), which won at the Norwegian Documentary Film Festival and was Gullruten-nominated. Storstein’s series Siblings (TV2, 2017) about families with disabled children was the Gullruten winner. She's made shorts for Save the Children, winning multiple prizes. My First Love is her feature film debut.
Storstein is also a vocal advocate for inclusion in the Nordic film industry, using both her art and activism to push for greater accessibility and representation on-screen and behind the camera.
PÖFF TALLINN BLACK NIGHTS FESTIVAL SCREENINGS*
19 November, 18:45, Apollo Kino Coca-Cola Plaza, 2nd Hall (World Premiere)
PRESS SCREENING*
To be confirmed
*Always check the festival website for any last-minute programme changes.
CLICK HERE TO GET ACCESS TO THE ASSETS PAGE
Christian De Schutter
