Maria Bäck's 'Brave New Love' Premieres in Locarno Competition

Maria Bäck's second narrative feature Brave New Love has premiered in the main competition at the Locarno Film Festival, marking the Danish director's return to the festival circuit after her 2019 debut Psychosis in Stockholm (Variety).

The film centres on Kate, a wife and mother living in Copenhagen who has been carrying on a three-year affair with another man. Kathrine Thorborg Johansen plays Kate, with Simon Sears as Orla and Anders Danielsen Lie as Andreas. Noemi Carbone Mannov appears as Kate's teenage daughter Athena, and Angeliki Papoulia is also in the cast (Variety; Screen Daily).

Bäck wrote the script herself, with Eskil Vogt — the Norwegian screenwriter whose credits include Joachim Trier's The Worst Person in the World — serving as a consultant. Behind the camera, the creative team includes cinematographer Maria Von Hausswolff and editor Julius Krebs Damsbo (Variety).

Locarno's main competition, the Concorso Internazionale, is one of the European festival circuit's most closely watched showcases. A premiere slot there places a film in front of the sales agents, distributors and programmers who determine which titles reach theatres and streaming platforms in the months that follow.

Variety first flagged the Locarno lineup on 9 July, noting that Brave New Love would receive its international premiere at the festival (Variety). The film's review and competition placement were confirmed on 10 August.

For Bäck, the premiere is a career milestone: only her second narrative feature, now playing on one of Europe's most prominent festival stages. For Danielsen Lie, it adds another festival title to a filmography that has made him one of Scandinavian cinema's most internationally visible actors.

No distribution deals for the film have been announced publicly.