Irina Palm opening / closing of the festival discoveries

Cast:
Marianne Faithfull (Maggie/Irina Palm), Miki Manojlovic (Mikky), Kevin Bishop (Tom), Siobhan Hewlett (Sarah), Dorka Gryllus (Luisa)

Maggie needs money urgently. Her grandson is seriously ill in hospital, and the medication that could save his life is way beyond what his parents can afford. She will have to come up with an idea soon if she is to give her son and daughter-in-law fresh hope. Desperate, Maggie, a middle-class Lon doner in her mid-fifties, finds herself responding to a temptingly lucrative job offer at a sex club. At Sexy World, the shy but sprightly widow meets the club's charming manager, Miki, who gently introduces her to her tasks as a "hostess". Her new colleague, Luisa, acquaints her with the rules of the game and, before long, the conscientious Maggie becomes the much sought after and well-paid Irina Palm. Along with the cash, Maggie gains renewed self-confidence, realising that she's not as old, unattractive and useless as she had believed herself to be.

IFF Berlin 2007

In Irina Palm, Maggie makes a very big journey. She goes from being an unfulfilled, unfinished person to becoming a woman more sure about herself and what's important in life.

Marianne Faithfull

I loved idea of doing a sort of non-politically correct romantic tragicomedy.

Sam Garbarski