Sophia Al-Maria is a writer and artist. She created the Sky/Starz series Little Birds, co-wrote the documentary Sisters with Transistors, and is the author of the memoir The Girl Who Fell to Earth. Her films have been shown at the Venice Biennale, Tate Britain, and Whitney Museum among others and these explore the themes of power, myth, and resistance which are so central to Toto Koopman’s story.
Expanding its scripted TV slate, Finite Films & TV will work with Al-Maria to develop the series about Toto Koopman’s extraordinary and trail-blazing life. Born to a Dutch cavalry officer father and a half Indonesian mother, Toto's mixed heritage exposed her to discrimination and prejudice that shaped her worldview.
Koopman arrived in Paris in the 1930s, soon making history as the first mixed race model to be featured on the cover of French Vogue. Koopman continued to challenge cultural norms throughout her life; she was open about her bisexuality and her relationships with high profile socialites such as actress Tallulah Bankhead and media mogul Lord Beaverbrook.
The series will trace Toto's transformation from fashion model to wartime spy, charting her dangerous double life which led to her capture by the fascists in 1941. Against overwhelming odds, Toto survived the Nazi concentration camps and later reinvented herself as a force in the postwar art world.
The Many Lives of Miss K bolsters Finite Films & TV’s growing scripted slate of curated, internationally driven projects with universal appeal, including the psychological horror, The Fears, from Doctor Who director, Andrew Gunn, which is currently in development, and the upcoming drama, Ben & Lucy, starring Steven Cree and directed by Cora Bissett. Finite Films & TV recently announced it will coproduce the first English-language feature film from director, Anu Menon, Two of Us, with Bright Pictures.
Shoni have co-produced Ruthy Pribar’s 2024 film What Is to Come, alongside Gum Film in Israel and served as executive producer for feature The Black Sea. Shoni founder Dana Høegh’s other credits include executive producing The Bike Thief by Matt Chambers, and The End by Josh Oppenheimer. Shoni are currently developing multiple feature film and high-end TV drama projects.
Amy Gardner, Founder and Executive Producer at Finite Films & TV says, “The aim of this project is to delve into Toto Koopman’s complex and inspiring life and do it justice, and Sophia is someone we trust to bring this incredibly profound and unique story to life. We couldn’t be more excited to have her on board, and to be working with the amazing Shoni Productions team, who will be our partners in bringing this story to life.”
