19-01-2009

Antichrist gets Polish funding

By Katarzyna Grynienko
    In its first session of the year, the Polish Film Institute (PFI) decided to fund the anticipated new horror film from Lars von Trier.
    Zentropa International Poland applied for 1 million PLN (€241,000) from the PFI's (www.pisf.pl) funding, receiving the entire amount in the first PFI session. The film's budget is €7.7 million.

    The film was shoot in Germany during the summer of 2008, after an especially hard training camp for the cast, which includes Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg. Antichrist is a story of a therapist and his wife, who lost their only child and move into a secluded cabin in the forrest. The man tires to cure his wife of anxiety attacks but their alienation soon leads to the emergence of dark human nature.

    The producer is Meta Louise Foldager for Zentropa Entertainments23 (Denmark) in co-production Zentropa International Köln (Germany), Slot Machine (France), Memfis Film (Sweden), and Lucky Red (Italy) in cooperation with The Danish Film Institute, Nordic Film & TV Fund, Film i Väst, Swedish Film Institute, Filmstiftung NRW, ARTE, ZDF, Canal+, DFFF and CNC.

    Antichrist
    is currently in post-production with a premiere planned for September 11, 2009. Zentropa (www.zentropa.dk) reports that international sales will be handled by TrustNordisk, a company connected with the Danish producer. The Polish distribution rights for this picture have been acquired by Gutek Film (www.gutekfilm.pl), the company that introduced Lars von Trier to Polish audiences.