PRESS HIGHLIGHTS
'Sebastian' with Ruaridh Mollica, Mikko Mäkelä & James Watson // ACADEMY CONVERSATIONS
Finnish director Mikko Mäkelä is defining Nordic queer cinema // VOGUE SCANDINAVIA
Inside ‘Sebastian,’ from Frank (and Realistic) Gay Sex Scenes to a Subversive Portrayal of Sex Work // INDIEWIRE
Sex work and the city: Mikko Mäkelä on his intimate meta-narrative Sebastian // BFI
Interview: Mikko Mäkelä on ‘Sebastian’ // FILM UPDATES
In 'Sebastian,' A Gay Writer's Quest For Fame Leads Him To Sex Work // HUFFINGTON POST
‘Sebastian’ re-writes the sex work movie // NPR WEEKEND EDITION
Sebastian is a powerful depiction of queer desire // THE FACE
Mikko Mäkelä & Ruaridh Mollica Revisit Their “Sex-Positive Sex Worker” Drama // THE PLAYLIST
Sundance 2024: 26 Must-See Films at This Year’s Festival // INDIEWIRE
Movies We Loved at Sundance 2024 // USA TODAY
SEBASTIAN
Feature film / 111min / UK-Finland-Belgium, 2024
In this erotic literary drama, we follow Max, a 25-year-old freelance writer and aspiring novelist who seems well on his way to success in London’s cultural spheres. Yet by night, he finds a different kind of exhilaration as a sex worker with the pseudonym Sebastian, meeting men via an escorting platform. Max uses his experiences as Sebastian to fuel his stories and the worthy debut novel that he has been longing to write, finally seems within reach. As Max increasingly struggles to remain in control of a delicately balanced double-life, he must reckon with whether Sebastian is merely a writer’s tool in their quest for the ultimate sense of first-hand authenticity – or whether something more is at stake.
WORLD PREMIERE SUNDANCE 2024
NOMINATED FOR 9 FINNISH FILM ACADEMY AWARDS Best Picture / Best Director / Best Screenplay / Best Leading Performance / Best Supporting Performance / Best Cinematography / Best Editing / Best Costume Design
BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM AWARD NOMINEE Breakthrough Performance
“An intriguing exploration of sex, identity, restraint and abandon.”
“Provocative, explicit, and ultimately tender...”
“Striking a fine balance between lurid voyeurism and grounded naturalism, Mäkelä’s film is a gripping wonder...with its keen, sensual eye, “Sebastian” makes its portrait of an artist as a young sex worker brim with pained authenticity about how fleeting and seemingly transactional intimacies remain rife sites of exploration for queer writers.”
“Mäkelä maintains the tension of a thriller throughout and keeps things satisfying unpredictable. Sebastian sees him continue to establish himself as significant voice in contemporary queer cinema...”
“[A] fascinating sexual journey about accepting all facets of ourselves.”
“Embracing complexity and nuance, Mäkelä sets forth a nerve-inducing narrative that rarely veers into the expected, instead choosing a more exciting, sex-positive route....in a most assured sophomore effort that is easily the best queer film at the [Sundance] Fest.”
“A piercing, explicit, and oftentimes sexy study of one 25-year-old’s search for identity in a world that has discouraged him from accepting all of himself unabashedly.”
“It’s a tremendous high wire act; and it’s a testament to the bravery and skill of everyone involved that the movie succeeds completely.”
“Mikko Mäkelä’s bewitching erotic drama...is a compelling story about the lengths we’ll go to for our art, and a genuinely steamy film that captures the beauty of queer sex.”
FESTIVALS
Sundance Film Festival 2024 (World Cinema Dramatic Competition) / BFI London Film Festival / Stockholm IFF / Helsinki IFF / Guadalajara IFF / Ghent Film Fest / Thessaloniki IFF / Seattle IFF / Taipei Golden Horse IFF / Rio de Janeiro IFF / Norwegian IFF / IFFBoston / Frameline / Provincetown IFF / OUTshine Film Festival (Miami) / Inside Out Toronto / Mix Mexico / Dinard Festival of British & Irish Film / QCinema IFF (Jury Prize) / Image+Nation Montréal (Audience Award)
A BÊTES SAUVAGES PRODUCTION
IN CO-PRODUCTION WITH HELSINKI FILMI, LEMMING FILM BELGIUM, BARRYCRERAR
BRITISH FILM INSTITUTE / SCREEN SCOTLAND / FINNISH FILM FOUNDATION / FINNISH IMPACT FILM FUND / YLE
Written & Directed by Mikko Mäkelä / Produced by James Watson / Co-producers: Aleksi Bardy, Severi Koivusalo, Dries Phlypo, Erik Glijnis, Leontine Petit, Ciara Barry, Rosie Crerar / Executive Producers: Lizzie Francke, Mike Goodridge, Jennifer Armitage, Mariyah Dosani, Petri Kemppinen, Niki Leskinen, Philippa Nicholl, Ari Tolppanen / Director of Photography: Iikka Salminen / Production Design: Guy Thompson / Edited by: Arttu Salmi & Mikko Mäkelä / Sound Design: Enos Desjardins / Original Score by Ilari Heinilä
MAIN CAST
Ruaridh Mollica / Hiftu Quasem / Jonathan Hyde / Ingvar Sigurdsson / Leanne Best / Lara Rossi / Dylan Brady / Stella Gonet / David Nellist / Pedro Minas / Laurent Maria
