The cinematic portrait of the visionary Swedish artist and feminist pioneer Hilma af Klint — who’s played at different ages by Tora Hallström and Oscar nominee Lena Olin, is spirited and sensuous.
Lasse Hallström’s HILMA brings to life the story of a woman who posthumously revolutionized the art world as one of the first abstract artists. In this immersive biopic, we follow the artist from her early life through her rising artistic career and spiritual awakening after the loss of her beloved younger sister Hermina. Hilma explores af Klint’s spiritualism, her unconventional love life, and the impetus behind her work — from the writings of Rudolph Steiner to the strong influence of the Theosophic Movement, and her belief in its mystical philosophy — in a portrait of a woman well ahead of her time.
Having remained unknown and unrecognized as the woman who invented abstract painting after her death in 1944, a 2019 Guggenheim Museum exhibition devoted to Hilma af Klint’s work became her first major solo exhibition in the U.S., revolutionizing the art world and art history while displacing Kandinsky, Malevich and Mondrian as the fathers of Modernism.
Official Selection: Palm Springs International Film Festival
First Run Independent Film in Madison!
The Summit Film Society screens Hilma, including a post-viewing discussion with actress Tora Hallström
All screenings are open to the general public.
Tickets are $15 and can be purchased ahead of time or at the door.
A discussion of the film follows the viewing.
