A vi Federgreen’s Toronto-based distribution company, Indiecan Entertainment, has acquired the North American distribution rights to Free Skate.

Free Skate marks the second directorial feature film by Finnish filmmaker Roope Olenius, who also serves as producer. His first film was Tuftland, which was theatrically released in the U.S., Finland and Greece.

The English-, Finnish- and Russian-language film follows a promising figure skater who flees from Russia to Finland to escape her problems. However, despite her bright future and new possibilities, she finds herself facing her troubled past to make it to the top. It is set to be released in North America in the first quarter of 2023.

The producers are Veera W. Vilo (Tuftland, Bunny the Killer Thing), who is the lead actor and screenwriter of the film, and Teea Siltanen, who is a former synchronized skating world champion. This is the third film Olenius and Vilo are producing together under Bright Fame Pictures.

It stars Leena Uotila (Ladies of Steel), Karoliina Blackburn (Vares: The Sheriff), Jevgeni Haukka (History is Made at Night), Saara Elina (Tuftland), Miikka J. Anttila (Tuftland), and Ilona Chevakova (The Last Kingdom).

Meanwhile, Belgian Olympian and 2022 World Champion silver medallist Loena Hendrickx performs the challenging figure skating stunts.

The pandemic and the war in Ukraine disrupted the film’s distribution plans, resulting in moving the release date four times, according to Olenius in a news release.