03-11-2011

Flying Machine 3D Opens in Poland

By Katarzyna Grynienko

    WARSAW: Flying Machine 3D a major Polish-Chinese co-production opens in Polish cinemas on 4 November 2012. The film inspired by Chopin's music will be distributed in China in 2012.

    {mosimage}Flying Machine 3D had its international premiere on 30 August 2011 Beijing. The 36 million PLN (8.3 million euros) film, made with funding from the Polish Film Institute, was produced by BreakThru Films (www.breakthrufilms.pl) and co-produced by Telewizja Polska S.A (www.tvp.pl), Canal+ Poland (www.canalplus.pl), Media Skok Sp. Z o.o (www.mediaskok.pl), Sean Michael Bobbitt Investment and Hugh Welchman.

    "Flying Machine 3D is an international coproduction that is very complex and made with funds coming from 6 different countries, including Poland. The production included 15 co-producers. One of the most valuable inputs apart from PISF were the funds coming from other Polish partners," Kinga Gałuszka from PISF said during the press conference. Apart from Poland and China the film is coproduced by companies from the UK, Norway and India.

    {mosimage}The Flying Machine 3D is a family 3D adventure film combining live action and stop motion animation starring Heather Graham and pianist Lang Lang who also performs the soundtrack, with Chopin's music providing the inspiration for a modern fairy tale.
    "For us the most important thing was to engage the best Polish animators as well specialists in puppet and stop-motion animation and set designers. We hope that it is visible in this film and that we get to share our enormous potential and treasure with the rest of the world," said Gałuszka.

    Nation-wide distribution in China will launch in 2012. "China has over 3,000 3D screens. We went trough a whole procedure to get the official status of a Polish-Chinese coproduction, which wasn't easy. The premiere was the first 3D screening in the history of the Forbidden City, and that was logistically very hard to organize" Magdalena Bargiel, one of the producers said. After several screenings at international film festivals, the film has already been sold to 26 territories. The world sales is handled by the Distribution Workshop (www.distibutionworkshop.com). The distribution of The Flying Machine in Poland will be handled by Kino Świat (www.kinoswiat.pl) and Bona Film Group (www.bonafilmgroup.cn) in China (a coproducer on the film).

    {mosimage}"In order to promote the title we will also use two computer games - one can be found on-line and the other was created as an iPhone application. We have also sold the rights to the short features accompanying the title to one of the broadcasters screening in 3D so our films can be presented on the modern 3D tablets," Welchman, the producer from BreakThru Films said. The Chopin-inspired animation can also be screened with live music shows.