Exclusive ‘Tom of Finland’ poster pays gorgeous tribute to an icon

Here’s your first look at the official poster for new queer film Tom of Finland.

The film is a biopic of the legendary gay artist Touko Laaksonen, whose sexy, homoerotic fetish art hugely influenced gay pop culture.

Star Observer is excited to officially unveil the poster, embedded below, for the new film courtesy of its distributor Palace Films.

Tom of Finland plays the upcoming Queer Screen Film Festival and will receive a theatrical release in Sydney and Melbourne on October 12.

The poster features a collage of iconic Tom of Finland sketches as well as an image of the artist as played in the film by Pekka Strang.

It was designed by Jonathan Coucoulas at This Time Tomorrow.

The poster is a beautiful tribute to an artist whose aesthetic has been foundational and transformative for many gay men.

Directed by Dome Karukoski, the film follows Touko (Strang) after the trauma of serving in WWII.

He finds no peace at home as he has to go to increasing lengths to disguise his homosexuality,
even from his family.

As the secret affairs and police crackdowns wear on him, he commits more deeply to his art, drawing inspiration from the uniforms that oppress him.

Touko gains confidence from the positive reactions he receives after sharing his explicit drawings of muscular men in sexually uninhibited situations with a select few.

But it is only when an American publisher sees them and invites Touko over to the West Coast that his
life begins to change.

Finally being able to walk free and proud in Los Angeles, Touko dives headfirst into the sexual revolution, becoming an icon and a rallying point.

The film has been chosen as Finland’s official selection for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2018 Academy Awards.

To buy tickets to see the film at the Queer Screen Film Festival click here. For more information about Tom of Finland, visit the film’s official website.