24-06-2012

PRODUCTION: Szabolcs Hajdu Preps Mirage

By Iulia Blaga

    {mosimage}BUDAPEST: Acclaimed Hungarian director Szabolcs Hajdu (White Palms, Bibliothèque Pascal) is in preparation with a Hungarian/ Slovak/British coproduction, Mirage, a drama exploring the Hungarian Puszta and the way the Hungarians relate with people from different cultures.

    Mirage is the story of a football player in a small Hungarian town who commits a crime and has to flee. He finds refuge on a farm deep in the Hungarian plains, only to realize that the farm is a modern slave camp where he is forced to fight for his freedom and ultimately his life.

    "My goal is to make a film that combines my exploration of typically Hungarian issues with elements of a classic noir thriller and even of the classic westerns," the director said in a statement.

    The project, which started a few years ago, is produced by Ágnes Pataki and Gábor Kovács through Hungary's Filmpartners and Andrea Taschler through Hungary's Mirage Film Studio, in co-production with Mátyás Prikler through Slovakia's MPhilms (www.mphilms.sk), and Steffen Wild through the British company Fourth Culture Films (www.fourthculturefilms.com).

    The budget is 1.9 million Euro with 1.4 million Euro already in place, Andrea Taschler told FNE. The project received a grant from the Hungarian Film Fund (www.filmalap.hu) and a grant of 73,800 Euro from the Slovak Audiovisual Fund (www.avf.sk).

    Szabolcs Hajdu, Jim Stark (producer of several films by Jim Jarmusch) and Nandor Lovas wrote the script. András Nagy (Bibliothèque Pascal) is the DOP. The 40 days of shooting will take place in Slovakia and Hungary. The casting is still taking place, but Romanian actors Răzvan Vasilescu (California Dreamin', Bibliothèque Pascal) and Orsolya Török-Illyés (Bibliothèque Pascal) are already confirmed.

    The completion date and the premiere are still to be determined. Negotiations with sales agents are underway.


    Production Information

    Mirage Film Studio Ltd.

    Eötvös utca 35.

    1067 Budapest, Hungary

    Phone: +36 30 270 0270

    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Filmpartners Ltd.

    1021, Hűvösvölgyi Út 62.

    Budapest, Hungary

    Phone: +36 1 391 4800

    Fax: +36 1 391 4809

    www.filmpartners.hu

    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    MPhilms Ltd.

    Horná 5

    83152 Bratislava, Slovak Republic

    www.mphilms.sk

    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Mátyás Prikler - statutory representative

    GSM: +421 944 201 190

    Fourth Culture Films

    91 Great Russell Street

    London WC1B 3PS

    Phone: +44(0) 20 7636 90 46

    www.fourthculturefilms.com

    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Credits

    Director: Szabolcs Hajdu

    Script: Szabolcs Hajdu

    Jim Stark

    Nandor Lovas

    DOP: András Nagy

    Cast: Răzvan Vasilescu

    Orsolya Török-Illyés