The Czech-Polish-Slovak coproduction is based on the real story of Olga Hepnarova, a young woman who killed eight people with a truck in 1973 and who was sentenced to death in 1975. The directors call the film an existential drama dealing with the slightly taboo subject of sexual orientation.
The coproducers are MediaBrigade (Poland, www.mediabrigade.pl), ALEF Film & Media Group (Slovakia, www.afm.sk), Barandov Studios (www.barrandov.cz), ACE Prague (www.ace-prague.cz), and Prague’s FAMU (www.famu.cz) film school.
The DOP is Jolanta Dylewska from Poland. The producers want to cast a Polish actress as Olga Hepnarova. Shooting is scheduled to start in February 2013 and last until the end of the year to capture all four seasons. Shooting will consist of 20 days at Barrandov Studios, 20 days in Poland and five days in Slovakia.
The budget is 1,386,000 EUR / 35 m CZK, Weinreb and Kazda told FNE. The project has a production grant of 239,800EUR / 1 m PLN from the Polish Film Institute (www.pisf.pl) and a production grant of 117,900 EUR / 3 m CZK from the Czech State Film Fund. The producers are waiting for the announcement of Slovak grants. Negotiations with a sales agent are underway.
Já, Olga Hepnarová / I, Olga Hepnarova is set to be finished in spring 2014.
Weinreb and Kazda are also developing Cena/The Value, a low budget contemporary drama set in 24h time which they will also co-direct, and they also plan a Czech-Belgian coproduction written and directed by Vit Poláček namedGirl Reading a Letter at an Open Window.
Questioned about how difficult is for a newcomer to make its own place in the Czech industry, Tomas Weinreb and Petr Kazda told FNE: "It's not easy, but maybe it is not that hard."
Production Information
Black Balance
Lesnická 1225/3, Prague 5, 150 00
Czech Republic
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MediaBrigade
ul. Karkonoska 10
53-015 Wrocław
Phone/Fax: +48 71 799-14-50
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ALEF Film & Media Group s.r.o.
Pavlovičova 3
821 04 Bratislava
Slovakia
Office:
Mliekarenská 11
821 09 Bratislava, Slovakia
Production:
Tekovská 7
821 09 Bratislava
Slovakia
Phone: +421/ 2/ 2090 2648
Fax: +421/ 2/ 2090 2647
www.afm.sk
Marian Urban: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Barandov Studios
Krizeneckeho nam. 322/5
152 00 Prague 5 - Hlubocepy
Reception Desk
Phone: +420 267 071 111
Fax: +420 267 071 133
www.barrandov.cz
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ACE Prague
Na Kovarne 4
Praha 10
10100, Czech Republic
Phone: +420 271 071 111
Fax: +420 271 722 100
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FAMU- Film and TV School of Academy of Performing Arts in Prague
Smetanovo nabrezi 2
116 65 Prague, Czech Republic
Phone: +420 234 244 360
Fax: +420 234 244 379
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Credits
Director: Tomas Weinreb
Petr Kazda
Script: Tomas Weinreb
Petr Kazda
DOP: Jolanta Dylewska
Set decorator: Alexander Kozák
Production designer: Marek Warszewski
