‘Sebastian’ Director Mikko Makela on Providing a ‘Frank and Honest’ Portrayal of Queer Sexuality in Sundance Pick (EXCLUSIVE)
Marta Balaga Finnish-British director Mikko Mäkelä isn’t shying away from sexual content in “Sebastian,” which has its world premiere on Sunday at Sundance Film Festival. “As was already the case with ‘A Moment in the Reeds,’ I wanted to provide a very frank and honest portrayal of queer sexuality,” he tells Variety, referencing his 2017 debut. “For so long, queer sexuality has been shied away from and censored.
It has been such a balancing act for queer filmmakers and a very unfair one, because we want to provide representation for ourselves, but we also don’t want to alienate audiences and people who finance our films.
Luckily, things have improved a great deal.” In Mäkelä’s sophomore film – competing in Sundance’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition – aspiring writer Max (Ruaridh Mollica) leads a double life as sex worker Sebastian, hoping to use his experiences in a novel.
But while Max tries to explore the emotional as well as the carnal, potential publishers push for titillating content. Produced by James Watson for Bêtes Sauvages, “Sebastian” is co-produced by Aleksi Bardy, Ciara Barry, Rosie Crerar, Erik Glijnis, Severi Koivusalo, Leontine Petit and Dries Phlypo for Helsinki filmi, Barry Crerar and Lemming Film.
