Newsletter 
The French film of December, Being Maria (Jessica Palud, 2024), traces Maria Schneider’s rise as she secures a key role in ‘Last Tango in Paris.’ Yet beneath the promise of success, a scandal brews — and Maria is finally ready to tell her truth.
Synopsis: What really happened between Maria Schneider and Marlon Brando? When the 19-year-old actress was selected for the role of Jeanne in ‘Last Tango in Paris’ in 1972, everything seemed to fall into place: the film was produced by Hollywood giant Warner, directed by the renowned Bernardo Bertolucci, and she was cast alongside the legendary actor, Marlon Brando. But the dream quickly slipped into a nightmare. During the shoot, an act of shocking violence occurred — an event that would scar Maria for the rest of her life.
Duration: 103 min
Language: French, English, Italian with Swedish and Finnish subtitles
Tickets will soon be available on Cinema Orion’s website. The film will be released in theaters on December 19, 2025.
The prescreening is followed by a discussion titled “Power and Responsibility in Cinema: #MeToo and filming intimate scenes”. This discussion will be led by
- Tytti Rantanen, film essayist and director of the Espoo Ciné Film
Festival (moderator);
- Saara Kotkaniemi, actress;
- Zaida Bergroth, director.